Nothing Else Matters
by Alethea27
Summary: What if Severus took custody of Harry Potter within a month after he was dumped on the Dursley's doorstep by Dumbledore? This story is AU. Image courtesy of Adahy 04.
1. Chapter 1

**Nothing Else Matters**

**Disclaimer**: The plot is mine, but all the main characters belong to the imagination of J.K. Rowling. I do not profit from any of them.

What if Severus took custody of Harry Potter shortly after Harry was dumped on the Dursley's doorstep by Dumbledore?

**Warning:** This AU and not canon. Nasty Dumbledore and Sirius. Unexpected happenings.

**Constructive** reviews, suggestions or comments are welcome, but flaming my story or me personally is not!

Story title is courtesy of Metallica, composers Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, Lyrics album, Elektra Entertainment, 1991.

**Chapter 1**

Severus Snape, 21, walked quickly home in the cold and light rain from his job in the Potions Research department of St. Mungo's. He had apparated from the hospital to within a mile of his home at Cheyne Place in Chelsea, London and walked the rest of the way. It felt good after being inside all day around dozens of constantly brewing cauldrons. Until recently, he had flooed home because of the danger of being kidnapped by Voldemort, who had wanted a Potion Master to brew his deadly potions, but since his demise at the hands of 15 month-old Harry Potter, he could once again move about freely. He still kept his eyes out for renegade Death Eaters, but his defensive skills were formidable and he felt himself in no danger from them. Severus was tall, lanky with eyes so dark they looked black and thick, raven-black, shoulder-length hair. His face was pale and his nose was long, but not out of proportion to the rest of his face. He slowed as he suddenly noticed he had somehow wandered into King's Road. The shops were decorated for Christmas with colorful lights and the windows were filled with all kinds of expensive items. Severus smiled and his eyes watered as he remembered his best friend, Lily Evans Potter. She had loved Christmas and whenever they'd gone to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, she used to drag him into practically every store. Unfortunately, she had died on October 31st protecting her son from Voldemort. Although they had been best friends since nine, when Lily had started dating James Potter, their friendship had waned because of Potter's jealousy and dislike, but they had managed to keep in loose contact despite it. He owled her congratulations when she'd given birth to her son and she owled him congratulations when he had received his Potion Mastery late last year. He was now the youngest Potion Master ever in wizarding Britain. The truth was Lily was the only woman he had ever loved and he would give anything if he could talk to her again. His heart had frozen when he heard about her murder and he didn't think it would ever thaw again. He had heard that Dumbledore had given her son to his Muggle relations to raise. He knew Lily would have had a fit if she knew her son had been given to Petunia. He was jerked out of his reverie when something slammed into his shin and pain shot up his leg. He looked down to see a small child, looking up at him with almond-shaped emerald green eyes.

"I told you to watch where you're going, you worthless freak!" A familiar voice shrieked. Petunia raised her hand to slap Harry, but Severus grabbed her arm, preventing her.

"Snape!" Petunia screeched.

"Hello, Petunia. Long time no see," Severus sneered, squeezing her arm hard enough to cause a look of alarm. He gave her a shove and bent down, scooping the child up into his arms. He smiled at him. "You must be Lily's son, Harry." The lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead confirmed it. He noticed immediately that the child was ill-dressed for the cold weather, wearing a thin jacket, a ragged T-shirt and shorts, holey socks and trainers that were much too big for him. He noticed, too, that his little hands and legs were bright red with cold and he was shivering. He wrapped his coat around the little boy to keep him warm.

"Give the freak back to me!" Petunia demanded

Severus looked at the stroller she'd been pushing. It contained a child whom Severus knew to be around the same age as Harry, but was about the size of a baby whale. He was dressed in a warm snow suit with the hood over his head, a scarf wrapped around his throat and mouth, wearing boots, mittens, and gloves.

"Well, you won't have to worry about Harry anymore, Petunia. I'm taking him off your hands."

"Go ahead!" Petunia screeched. "He was left on our doorstep without our permission and without any notice. We didn't even know anything had happened to my freak sister."

"Goodbye, Petunia." Severus said and hurried into a nearby alley before he lost his temper and turned her into a skunk; he turned and disapparated into his backyard. It was a bit slippery from the rain, but he managed to land without falling down. He entered the back door, stopping to remove the mud from his shoes with a wave of his wand. "Tita?" He called as he entered the ground floor kitchen.

The elf popped into the kitchen. She was only a bit taller than Harry and was dressed in a long red flannel gown and wore leather slippers on her feet. "What can Tita do for Mr. Severus …" Her voice trailed off as she saw the child peeking out of Severus' coat.

"Tita, this is Harry and he's going to be staying with us. Harry, this is Tita who looks after me and is really the boss here, but is nice enough to let people think I am," He joked. "Tita, would you please draw a warm bath for Harry while I call mum."

"Tita will be happy to take care of the young master." She disappeared with another pop. Severus carried Harry up a short flight of stairs to his first floor living room. His grandparents, Tiberius and Audra Prince had bought him the house as a gift when he attained his Potion's Mastery at the age of twenty. Severus shook his head. Why they thought he needed a seven bedroom home he'd never understand, but still it had some amenities he did like such as the roof terrace, the conservatory, the garden and the swimming pool and sauna in the basement. The house was also heavily warded and under the Fidelius Charm with his grandfather as the Secret Keeper. His mum's house in Manchester was the also under the same protective spells. Severus put down Harry while he hung up his coat. He noticed the little boy was still shivering, picked him up, snatched up the afghan from the back of the couch, and wrapped it around him. He took some floo powder out of a small china cauldron on the mantle, knelt down in front of the fireplace, threw it into the fireplace and said, "Snape house, Spinner's End, Manchester." He stuck his head into the flames.

His mother, Eileen came over to the fireplace and knelt down in front of it. "Sev, what a nice surprise. How are you, darling?"

Severus shrugged. "Okay, Mum, but some days are better than others."

"I know, Sev. We all miss Lily terribly."

"Can you and dad come through? I need your expertise."

"Of course. We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thanks Mum." Severus got up and moved out of the way so his mother and father could come through. His mum was a Potion Mistress and a Pediatric Healer. His father, Tobias, had worked for years at the largest cotton mill in Manchester and when it had gone out of business in the early seventies, he had started his own business crafting fine wood furniture and he was so successful, he opened a branch in Birmingham and would be opening a branch in London after the first of the year.

Eileen came through first. She tall and slender built with the same raven-black hair and dark eyes as Severus had. Tobias was a bit shorter, with black hair now shot through with gray, a rugged face with startlingly blue eyes, the same nose as Severus, but a still lean midriff.

"Sev, who's this little angel you're holding?" Eileen asked in surprise.

"Mum, this is Lily's son, Harry." Severus went on to explain how he'd taken Harry from Petunia. "I think they were abusing him so I want you to examine him."

"Of course, Sev. Why don't you lay him on the couch for me?" Eileen replied.

Severus laid Harry on the couch. "There's nothing to be afraid of, little guy. Nobody's going to hurt you and I'll be right here." He stepped out of the way, but still remained in his line of vision.

"Well now, little fellow, let's see what makes you tick," Eileen said in the tone she generally used to soothe scared children. She tickled Harry's stomach, causing him to giggle. She moved her wand over Harry, starting at his head and down to his feet. In a few seconds a piece of parchment appeared. Eileen studied it. "Malnourished …bad bruising … no broken bones, thank Merlin." She shook his head. "Your suspicions are correct, Sev. Somebody in that house is definitely abusing him; hitting him hard enough to bruise from the look of things."

"It looks as if he hasn't had a bath in a while either," Tobias commented. He bent and picked Harry up. He didn't look frightened or start crying. He just looked at him curiously.

"This is my dad, Harry. He won't hurt you either."

Eileen quickly wrote out a list and handed it to Severus. "Sev, will you floo home and get me these potions, please."

Severus nodded. "Okay, I'll be back. He stepped out of the fireplace in a few moments, holding a box containing the potions and salves Eileen had requested. There was some baby fever reducer, baby pepper-up potion, and a baby nutrient potion. "The nutrient potion contains an extra ingredient to encourage Harry's appetite," Eileen explained.

"Thanks Mum. I can brew these as soon as I get Harry settled into a routine."

"Don't worry about it, Sev. I have plenty of these on hand and if you need anything, you can fire-call me."

"Your mum always brews double portions," Tobias said.

Before they bathed Harry, Severus took pictures of the way he was dressed and they removed his clothing, a piece at a time, and Severus photographed the bruising on his body. His underpants were torn and filthy.

"I can't believe anybody would abuse Harry. He's so sweet," Eileen remarked, shaking her head. "Not even Petunia."

"You remember, Mum, how jealous she was of Lily being a witch? How she used to call us freaks all the time?"

"Yes, I do remember, but that she'd take out her jealousy on a baby …" Eileen shook her head again. "I'm glad you took Harry away from her, Sev."

Severus wrapped Harry in a fluffy towel and carried him into the bathroom. "Mum, could you test the water for me to make sure it's not too hot?"

Eileen bent and put her hand in the water, leaving it in for a few seconds. "No, it's nice and warm."

Severus carefully lowered Harry into the tub. He felt Harry tense up and murmured, "It's okay, little guy. It won't hurt you."

Harry began to relax as the warm water felt very soothing. Eileen transfigured some bath toys for him to play with and soon he was giggling and splashing the water, getting Severus wet as he was bathing him. Severus gently washed and rinsed his hair being very careful not to get any soap in his eyes. He lifted Harry out of the tub, wrapping him in a thick warmed towel. That's one of the things he liked most about his home – the automatic towel warmers in the bathrooms.

"We'll have to go shopping tomorrow, Sev and get Harry warm clothing," Eileen said as she transfigured a washcloth into underpants for Harry.

Once Severus had Harry dry, he applied the bruise salve to his bruises and then slipped on his underpants. He transfigured a towel into warm green pajamas with feet and got Harry into them. He settled Harry on his hip. "Are you and dad staying for dinner?"

"Yes, we'll stay."

"Would you take Harry while I take a quick shower and change?" Severus was still attired in the Muggle surgical scrubs he wore to work. He found them cool and comfortable to wear in a hot lab with constantly brewing cauldrons, but now they were soaked in spots from all of Harry's splashing.

"Of course, Sev," Eileen replied. She lifted Harry out of Severus' arms and into hers.

"You go with mum, Harry and I'll be there shortly." Severus said. Once they left the room, Severus put Harry's bath toys in a safe place and took a quick shower and changed into a jumper, jeans and trainers. He went back downstairs into the living room. Despite its size, the room felt cozy. His mum and grandmother had painted in warm colors and had furnished it with comfortable furniture. His study which was off the living room was more masculine with a walnut desk and bookcases that lined the walls. There was a matching file cabinet next to his desk where he kept his notes on his personal potions research. Unlike in the Muggle world, any potion discoveries he made on his own time did not automatically belong to St. Mungo's just because they employed him.

Tita popped into the room. "Mr. Severus, Tita has dinner on the table in the dining room."

"Thank you, Tita," Severus replied.

Eileen took a log from the fireplace and transfigured it into a highchair for Harry, but he refused to let go of Severus long enough for him to place him in it. "Well, I guess it won't hurt for him to sit on my lap." He looked at the food on the table. There was a roast chicken, stuffing, roasted potatoes, baked squash and steamed carrots. "Do you think Harry will be able to eat this or should I ask Tita to prepare some baby food for him?" Severus asked his mum.

"He got all of his baby teeth so he should be able to eat it if you cut his food into bite-size pieces." Eileen replied. "Children his age really like food they can eat with their fingers."

Severus nodded. He cut a slice of chicken in small pieces along with a few carrots, a roasted potato. He noticed how Harry's eyes widened as he set the plate of food down in front of him. He transfigured his glass into a Sippy cup, poured some milk into it and added some of the nutrient potion. Thankfully, nutrient potions did not have any discernable taste so Harry would never know it was in there. Severus was surprised that he ate most of the chicken, some of the carrots and potatoes and even a few spoonfuls of baked squash before he started turning his head away. He did drink all of his milk though. He could tell Harry was getting sleepy, too. Eileen noticed it and said. "Maybe, you should be getting Harry to bed, Sev. We have to be going anyway."

"Yeah, he is nodding off. It's probably because it's the first time he's had a full stomach since October. Thanks for all your help, Mum, Dad."

"You're more than welcome, Sev," Eileen replied. "If you have any questions or problems, let me know."

Tobias nodded. "I'll probably being seeing a lot more of you as we're getting the new store closer to opening."

Eileen gave Sev a kiss and said, "I'll see you in the morning."

When his parents had left, Severus took Harry upstairs to his bedroom. His bedroom was large with big fireplace between two bookcases. The room was painted a sea green color and had oak woodwork. He laid Harry on his bed and cast a barrier spell on Harry's side of the bed so he couldn't accidently roll off. He went a grabbed a log out of the big copper cauldron, that held the logs for the fireplace, and transfigured it into a crib for Harry. He got a cotton ball from the bathroom and transfigured it into a mattress and got two handkerchiefs form his dresser drawer and transfigured them into a sheet and quilt. He removed the barrier and lifted Harry up. He woke with a start and eyed Severus sleepily. He started to lower him into the crib, but Harry started to scream and clung to Severus for dear life. He suddenly realized why Harry didn't want to sleep there, considering what had happened the very last time he had been in a crib. He held Harry tightly, alternately patting his back and rubbing small circles around it while walking around the room. Harry sobs began to subside into sniffles.

Severus carried him over to the book cases. He kept some books on the shelves, but mostly personal items. He grabbed a picture off one of the shelves. It was a picture of him and Lily, dressed in their Hogwarts robes, their arms wrapped around each other, and big smiles on both their faces. The Hogwarts Express could be seen in the background of the picture. "Look here, Harry. This is your mum, Lily, and me before we left for Hogwarts our first year. Your grandmother Evans took it. I wish you could have known your grandparents. They were great people who always treated me like a member of their family. I miss them as much as I do your mum." He put that picture back on the shelf and took down another one. "Here's another one of your mum and me, but this was taken before we left for our final year." Like the other one, he and Lily had their arms wrapped around one another, but this shot was somewhat spoilt by Potter, Black, and Pettigrew glowering in the background. Severus put the picture up again. "Your mum was beautiful and the top witch in our year. She was brilliant at Charms and almost as good as me at Potions." He reached up again and grabbed a book off one of the shelves. "How would you like me to read to you? Lily gave me this book for Christmas our fourth year. It's a Christmas story called _A Christmas Carol_ by Charles Dickens. He lived in the 1800's during the reign of Queen Victoria." Severus settled himself in the comfortable green suede recliner with Harry on his lap and began to read, "_Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail._"

He looked down at Harry who was yawning and rubbing his eyes. Severus read a few more pages until Harry had fallen fast asleep, resting against him. Severus yawned and set the book on the table next to his chair. He felt tired, too, so he put the recliner far enough back so the footrest came up. Severus repositioned Harry so he was lying on his chest and his messy hair that stuck out all over, was tickling his chin. Severus put his arms around Harry and thought about Lily as he listened to Harry's soft breathing. He missed her so much that he swore he'd give up all the gold in his vault at Gringotts if he could talk with her, hear her voice and her laughter once again. He had drifted off into a light doze when he suddenly woke up, to find himself and Harry being covered by the afghan his grandmother had made him that usually lay folded at the foot of his bed. He looked up, expecting to see Tita since she often covered him when he fell asleep on the couch in his study. What he wasn't expecting to see was the person who was standing next to him and smiling at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **All the previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 2**

"Lily?"

"Yes, Sev. It's me." She said, smiling at him.

"Am I dreaming?" Severus asked, trying to sit up without waking Harry. Since he could hear the ticking of the Grandfather clock in the hallway outside his bedroom, could hear the wind blowing outside and feel Harry weight on his chest, he assumed this wasn't a dream.

Lily shook her head. "You aren't. I'm really here."

"What are you doing here?" Severus asked as he stared at her. She was as beautiful as ever and unlike the ghosts at Hogwarts, she looked completely solid.

"In your bedroom you mean, Sev?" She asked pertly then giggled.

The delightful sound of her giggling warmed Severus' heart. "No, I mean you're …dead."

"I'm here because I couldn't allow my son to be mistreated by my hateful sister. I arranged for you to run into her on King's Road. I knew you'd see right away that Harry was being abused and you'd take him away from her."

"I did wonder how I'd ended up on King's Road since I usually never walk that way home." Severus smiled lightly.

"I can't believe Dumbledore went against my wishes and gave Harry to Petunia. He knew she hated me."

"Well, there's no way in Hades I'm letting him go back to Petunia. I'll go over to her place and force her and her husband to give custody of Harry to me."

"You'll need her address. She lives at Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey," Lily said

"I'll make sure Dumbledore stays clear of him, too. He's not going to manipulate Harry like he does everybody else."

"Thanks, Sev. I know Harry will be in good hands until …"

"Until?" Severus repeated.

Lily stared at the floor and then looked up at Severus. "I've been offered a chance to come back. You see I wasn't supposed to die; it wasn't my time."

"Are you going to take it? I mean I know I'm being completely selfish, but I've missed you terribly," He confessed.

"Yes I'm going to do it. I want to see Harry grow up, get married, and have children of his own."

"What about …Potter?"

"I don't know if they made James the same offer as I haven't seen him. I've spent all my time with mum and dad."

Severus smiled. "I was just telling Harry about them tonight. I miss them as much as I miss you."

Lily's emerald eyes hardened. "James is the reason Voldemort was able to find us despite the _Fidelius_ _Charm_. He stupidly and stubbornly insisted on making Sirius our Secret Keeper. I wanted Remus, but James didn't trust him because Voldemort was recruiting the Werewolves."

"I didn't know Lupin that well, but what I knew of him was that he was very loyal and I'm sure he'd have rather die than betray you."

"Of course he would have! He was my partner and my friend. James and Sirius got together behind my back and made Pettigrew our Secret Keeper and he betrayed us to Voldemort. Believe me when I do come back, there's going to be some changes made."

"Do you know how or when you'll come back?" Severus asked curiously

"I can only come through the Veil at the moment of my death which as you know was at midnight on Halloween." She got up, leaned down and kissed his cheek then kissed the top of Harry's head. "Take care of my little boy for me until I see you on Halloween, Sev."

"I will," He promised and drifted off into the first peaceful sleep he'd had since Halloween night. He woke up to feel a weight on his chest and someone patting his cheek. He opened his eye to see Harry was awake and seated on his chest. He giggled when he saw Severus had one eye open. He closed his eye again and pretended to go back to sleep and Harry started to pat his cheek again in another attempt to wake him when Severus pulled him into his arms and started to tickle him. He loved hearing Harry's giggle. Severus threw off the afghan and got up, settling Harry on his hip. Although he had no memory of Lily's visit, he was aware that he felt differently. The grief that had weighed him down since Halloween had lightened. Maybe, it was because of Harry. He walked over the big bay window and pulled open the drapes. It was still grey, rainy and gloomy outside. He shifted Harry and said, "I guess I'd better get you into the tub and get you dressed so we can eat breakfast. We'll need our energy because mum will shop from one end of Diagon Alley to the other." Severus got Harry bathed and was drying him when there was a knock on his bedroom door and Eileen said, "Sev, are you decent?"

"Yes, Mum, come in," Severus called from the bathroom. Eileen followed by Tobias came in, bearing several bags which she laid on his bed. He picked up Harry and carried him into the bedroom. "What's all this?"

"Well, I realized last night Harry didn't have anything to wear so I went to the Muggle department store as soon as it opened and bought him some clothes to wear and underwear."

"Your mum got me up at six o'clock so we could go shopping for our new grandson," Tobias chuckled.

"Merlin thanks!" Severus said, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "I didn't even think of that."

They got Harry dressed. He wore black corduroy pants, a green jumper, thick socks and fleece-lined shoes. He looked down at himself then up at Severus and Eileen and smiled. Eileen had also purchased a coat, hat, scarf and mittens for him.

"I think he approves of your choice of clothing," Severus remarked. "Would you mind watching Harry while I shower and get dressed?"

"Of course I don't mind, Sev,"

Severus dropped to one knee and he was the same height as Harry. "You go with mum and dad. I'll be there shortly."

Eileen scooped Harry up into her arms. "Come with me, Sweetie and I'll read you a story while we're waiting for Sev."

Once his mum, dad and Harry had gone downstairs, Severus stripped off his clothes, took a quick shower, and got dressed. He wore black jeans, a light blue cable-knit jumper, and dragon-skin boots. He came downstairs and found him mum with Harry sitting on her lap. She was reading to him from _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_ by C. S. Lewis. Lily had introduced him to the _Narnia_ series along with _The Wizard of Oz_ series by L. Frank Baum.

"I'm surprised those books are still in one piece considering how many times I read them," Severus remarked looking at the stacks of books on the table.

"It's nothing a _Reparo_ spell couldn't fix," Eileen answered.

"Tita probably has breakfast ready," Severus said lifting Harry off Eileen's lap and into his arms. They walked into the dining room where Tita had plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, bangers, and fried potatoes. This time Harry decided he wanted to sit on Tobias' lap. Severus fixed a plate for Harry with some scrambled eggs, bacon broken into small pieces, and some potatoes. He poured his nutrient potion into his milk in his Sippy cup.

"I think the first thing we'll need to get is a stroller for Harry," Eileen remarked.

Severus nodded as he ate and covertly watched Harry eating. He appeared to have a good appetite and was eating most of what was on his plate and drinking his milk which contained the nutrient potion. "I'll need to cast a glamour charm over him before we leave, too."

Eileen shook her head and said, "He's such a little angel, Sev. I just don't understand how Petunia could treat him so awful."

"Well, he doesn't have to worry about Petunia anymore because I'm calling Reginald when we get back this afternoon and we're paying a visit to Petunia and she and her husband are signing papers to transfer Harry's guardianship to me." Reginald was Reginald Winchester who was his grandfather's main barrister. He had been working for Tiberius Prince since he was a young man just starting out in his career. He was both a barrister and a solicitor and was able to work in either the Muggle or Wizarding world.

"Maybe, you should fire-call him before we leave. That way he can have the paperwork drawn up and ready to go as soon as we get back."

"Good idea, Mum," Severus said. "I wonder if I should contact him at his office or at home."

"Definitely at his office," Eileen laughed. "He's always there much to Vivian's dismay."

Severus knelt down in front of the fireplace, tossed down the floo powder and said, "Reginald Winchester's office, London."

Reginald, who was a bit on the portly side with thick gray hair, and blue eyes, and wearing a blue, pinstriped robe, came over to his fireplace and knelt down. "Severus, good to see you. What can I do for you?"

"Can you come through for a few minutes?"

"Certainly, Severus." Severus moved out of the way and he came through.

Severus quickly explained about taking Harry away from Petunia and the signs of abuse Eileen had found in her examination. "I want you to draw up papers transferring Harry's guardianship from the Dursley's to me."

"I'll get right to it," Reginald promised. He shook his head. "Can you imagine the uproar if the Wizarding world found out 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' was being abused by his Muggle relatives?"

"They wouldn't be too happy with Dumbledore because he's the one that left him there." Severus answered.

Reginald flooed back to his office, promising to have the guardianship papers done by the afternoon. Severus got Harry ready to go. He cast a light glamour over him that straightened his hair so it didn't look messy anymore, changed his eyes to dark brown, and hid the familiar lightning bolt shaped scar. He got his coat on, his hat, mittens and wrapped the scarf securely around his neck and mouth. He got his coat on and they flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. Severus had Harry's nutritional potion in his pocket as well as a baby anti-nausea potion in case Harry felt sick, but he seemed fine as they stepped out of the fireplace at the Leaky cauldron. They all waved at Tom as they passed through. They walked out into the courtyard and Severus tapped the bricks with his wand, opening the wall to Diagon Alley. As they walked down to Gringotts, Harry's head turned this way and that way, trying to take in all the sights.

Severus smiled. "Easy, little guy or you'll give yourself a whiplash."

They walked in and were cordially greeted by the Gringotts Goblins. The Prince's were a very old and wealthy family, being in possession of 25 vaults. Over the years, Severus' grandfather, Tiberius, had tripled the family fortune with his savvy business sense. Severus could only hope to do as well as him. The Goblin whistled and a cart came rattling up the tracks. Eileen, Tobias and Severus got in and sat down. He held Harry securely in his lap, wrapping his arms around him."Okay, Harry, we're going for a very fast ride so just hang on to me until we stop," Severus said. The cart took off a breakneck speed, rattling along the tracks. Harry didn't seem to be scared at all. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the ride. He appeared not to have inherited Lily's fear of heights. The cart pulled up in front of Vault 725 which was Eileen's vault. They all got out of the cart. The Prince Vaults were in a high security area of Gringotts.

"Stand back, please," The goblin requested. He ran his finger down the seam of the vault door, unlocking all the mechanisms and agilely stepped away as the heavy doors swung open. Eileen took the moleskin money sack he offered her and went into her vault and began filling it with Galleons, Sickles and Knuts.

"Mum, Christmas is less than three weeks away. Let's not go overboard with the toys," Severus said.

"I know that, Sev, but Harry doesn't have anything except those clothes on his back. He needs everything. And we'll be going over to your grandparents for Christmas and you know how formal they are. We'll need to buy some dress robes for Harry."

"Merlin," Severus muttered. He'd best check _his_ dress robes to see what shape they were in after the two week potion's conference in Paris he'd attended in September. Eileen came out of her vault and the goblin closed it again and they walked Vault 726 which was Severus' personal vault. After the goblin opened it for him, Severus frowned at what he saw inside. "I need to tell grandfather and grandmother to stop adding gold to my vault. I earn a good salary now and I've got quite a bit of income coming in from the potions and spells I've invented."

"You're their only grandchild and they're so very proud of you, Sev

"Well, I don't want to hurt their feelings either," Severus grumbled good-naturedly. He took the moleskin moneybag from the goblin, put Harry down, took his hand and helped him into the vault. With Harry's help, he gathered a goodly amount of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. He shrunk the moleskin bag, put it in his pocket and then bent and scooped Harry up into his arms. "Good job, Harry," He said smiling.

The ride back up to the top level of Gringotts was almost as exciting for Harry as the ride down had been. _'I wonder if I should get a training broom for Christmas or wait until his birthday in July. Even though I'm not a big fan of Quidditch, if Harry has a talent for it, he should be allowed to develop it.' _Severus argued with himself. He'd rather Harry concentrated on his studies. Lily had been a big Quidditch fan and used to scream him practically deaf when he'd go with her to the matches, but he thought she'd prefer her son did well at his studies. If Harry got sorted into Gryffindor and made the Quidditch team, he was going to have to make it clear to Minerva McGonagall that Harry's studies came first. If his grades were not at least an A, he would not be allowed to play Quidditch.

They reached the top and got out of the cart. Harry seemed disappointed. "Don't worry, Harry," Severus said. "We'll be coming back here plenty of times." He and his parents walked out of Gringotts. "Where to first, Mum?"

"Babba's Baby Boutique," Eileen answered. "We can get almost everything we need for Harry, including dress robes, right there."

"Okay," Severus said reluctantly. He definitely wasn't looking forward to going into a store that was probably full of pregnant witches.

"Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud, Sev," Eileen teased.

They entered the store and Severus was immediately surrounded by witches in various stages of pregnancy, asking him questions.

"Isn't he cute?"

"How old is he?"

"What's his name?"

Eileen smiled and said, "I'll be back by the strollers, Sev." Tobias gave Sev a smile and hurriedly followed her.

"Mum …" Severus began. He rolled his eyes then cleared his throat and said, "Ladies, please, you're scaring my son." When he had their attention, he said, "Yes, I happen to think he's very cute. His name is Toby and he's almost eighteen month-old. He was finally able to escape to the back of the store where Eileen had gone. "Don't ever do that again, Mum," Severus scolded. "I thought Harry and I were going to be devoured by a bunch of overly hormonal witches."

Eileen smiled and shook her head. "I found the perfect stroller, Sev." She pointed at a particularly one. "Look here. You tap the awning with your wand and it forms a shield to protect Harry from the cold and wind. It also has warming and cooling charms, and a charm to monitor his health; an alarm will go off warning you if he becomes ill. And look if you tap your wand twice, the barrier darkens to prevent any damage to his eyes."

"Remind me, Mum to make an appointment with the pediatric oculist at St. Mungo's. I was thinking last night how poor Potter's eyesight was. Merlin! If his glasses got knocked off he couldn't see past his nose." He shook his head. "It's a wonder the Auror Academy accepted him with such bad eyesight."

"I'll remind you on Monday. Are you going to place him in daycare at St. Mungo's?"

"Yes, I think it would be good for him to have other children to play with. I don't think he's probably had any interaction with any children. His parents went into hiding shortly after he was born until …the end so I doubt he had any other children to play with there."

"And I can't imagine Petunia ever took him anywhere he could play with other children," Eileen added in a scornful tone.

"I can assure you that is the case," Severus replied. "Let's buy this stroller since it's got all these helpful charms on it and I'll need all the help I can get."

By the time they left the store, Harry had an entire new wardrobe, including three dress robes in green, blue and black. Severus didn't want to buy any red. It reminded him too vividly of the hideous dress robe Potter had had made for his last year at Hogwarts; a red velvet monstrosity with gold braid trim. Once outside, Severus put Harry in the stroller, loosened the scarf around his throat and then tapped his wand on the awning to activate the shield. "Let's go to _Flourish & Blotts_ next, Mum. I want to get Harry some more books." When they got into the store, he tapped the awning of the stroller, releasing the shield. Tobias decided to go with Severus. He wheeled Harry down the aisle where the children's books were located. In addition to the Wizarding classics such as _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_, they had a small selection of the classic Muggle children's books such as '_Goodnight Moon_,' '_Where the Wild Things Are_,' and '_Green Eggs and Ham_.' Severus bought Harry a combination of both Wizarding and Muggle story books and took them up to the counter. The owner of the store, Seaman Blotts, was at the register. Severus was a well-known figure to the owner and employees of _Flourish & Blotts_. He stopped in frequently to check for new potion books. "Who's this little man, Severus?" Seaman asked peering down at Harry in the stroller.

"His name is Toby and he's going to be staying with me," Severus answered, smiling down at Harry. He paid Seaman, took the package of books, shrunk it and put it in the back of the stroller. He waved at Mr. Blotts and wheeled Harry up the aisles.

"I imagine your mum's in the potion's book aisle," Tobias said. "At least that's where I always find her."

And that was where they found her. "Anything new and interesting, Mum?"

"I've just seen this," She said handing him a copy of _The Almanac of Medicinal Potions, 1982_," Eileen said. "It's apparently just arrived as they were just putting it out as I came down the aisle."

"Can you buy me a copy, too, and I'll pay you back," Severus requested.

"No need for that, Sev," Eileen said with a laugh.

When they were outside again, Severus said. "I'm hungry and I'm sure Harry probably is. Do you want to stop at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch?"

"I'm getting hungry, too so that sounds fine."

"I'll have to see if Tom's available for a game of rummy this week," Tobias said. He had taught Tom how to play gin rummy back when Severus was still a student at Hogwarts and they met at least once a week to play.

They went back through the wall and into the courtyard where Severus lifted Harry out of his stroller and Eileen shrank it and put it into her purse. They walked inside the Leaky and were greeted by a loud voice which Severus immediately recognized as belonging to Sirius Black. "Look what just walked in, Moony. It's Snivellus with a baby no less. Merlin's dick! What woman would sleep with him unless he raped her or _Imperiused_ her?"

Severus took his mum's arm and said, "Come on, Mum, Dad let's find another place. I had to listen to this crap for seven years at Hogwarts and I really don't want to have to listen to it again."

"He's one of the kids that used to bully you wasn't he and never got punished for it?" Tobias asked bristling.

"Sirius, sit down and eat. Our lunch hour is almost over and I really don't want to have to listen to your stomach growling the whole time we're on patrol." Remus growled, looking up from the book he was reading.

"Sit down and shut up, Mr. Black," Tom, the owner of the Leaky, snapped. "I don't think you want me to be complaining about you to Mr. Scrimgeour when he comes in for his afternoon cuppa." Tom had always felt sorry for Severus. He been bullied and humiliated relentlessly by Potter and his gang and nobody had ever lifted a finger to help him except for Lily Evans. He came out from behind the bar, wiping his hand on his apron. "Come with me. I have a table for you right over here." He led them over to a table in the back. Eileen sat down in the chair Tom pulled out for her and Severus sat down across from them with Harry on his lap.

"I can get the little boy a highchair if you like," Tom said handing them menus.

"No, he's fine, but thanks, Tom," Severus replied.

Tom and Tobias talked for a few minutes and then Tobias sat down. "Tom says he free tonight and he'll be over once the supper hour crowd thins out and he can turn the place over to his assistant."

"I can't believe that wanking Death Eater has a son when James will never get to see his grow up, go to Hogwarts, or play Quidditch," Sirius said loudly.

"I've had enough of this!" Severus snapped. He handed Harry over to his dad to hold and got up. He strode over to the table Sirius and Remus were seated at and pulled up the left sleeve of his jumper, exposing his anterior forearm. "Okay, Black if I'm a Death Eater, where's the dark mark? Go ahead and use whatever charms you normally use to uncover a hidden mark. Go ahead. I dare you!"

Sirius glared at him, but took out his wand, muttered something and hit Severus' arm, harder than necessary. When nothing happened he muttered something else and wacked his arm again. When nothing happened, he looked at Remus who shook his head at Sirius, shrugged, and said, "I guess there's nothing hidden, Sirius."

Severus glared at Sirius again and warned, "Just stay completely away from me and my family, Black." He warned and walked back to his table, lifted Harry from his mum's lap and settled him in his lap. "Git!" He muttered.

"I ordered you a chicken salad sandwich, Sev and Harry a grilled cheese," Eileen said. She looked over to where Black and Lupin were seated. "I hope they're not going to start bothering you, especially that wretched Black."

"He tries and I'll be seeing Scrimgeour. I do have standing in the Wizarding community now being the youngest potion master ever; something I didn't have my years at Hogwarts."

"Here we are," Tom said, setting a plate in front of Severus, containing his sandwich and a pile of homemade crisps. He set Eileen's garden omelet in front of her and Harry's grilled cheese, crisps, and a glass of milk by Severus and a thick juicy hamburger and crisps in front of Tobias. He straightened up and said, "I apologize for the unpleasantness with Black. He's been a right bastard since his partner was killed in October. Not to speak ill of the dead, but him and Potter would come strutting in here like they owned the place and throw their weight around. Mrs. Potter, on the other hand, was always the perfect lady; she was always soft-spoken, polite and respectful."

Severus nodded and thanked Tom. He cut up Harry's grilled cheese sandwich into bite size pieces that he could eat them with his fingers. He poured the nutrient potion into his milk and transfigured the glass into a Sippy cup.

"Da!" Harry said, tugging on Severus sleeve. When Severus looked down, he offered him one of the salty crips. Severus took it from him and ate it. "Thank you, Harry." Harry smiled and began eating his grilled cheese.

Sirius and Remus got up from there table; Remus shrank his book and put it in his pocket. As they went over to the back door, Sirius said, "I'll be seeing _you_ around, Snivellus." He slammed his way into the courtyard.

Remus stopped by their table, looking awkward as he apologized. "I'm sorry about Sirius. He hasn't been the same since …October. I know you aren't a Death Eater, Severus. Lily talked about you a lot when we were on patrol and she always spoke very highly of you."

"Thank you, Lupin. I know Lily thought a lot of you and that you were always a good friend to her."

Remus flushed a bit then nodded and went out the door into the courtyard.

Severus and his mother finished lunch. He was pleased to see Harry had eaten his entire sandwich and drunk all of his milk.

After they paid Tom, they went back out into the courtyard where Eileen resized Harry's stroller and Severus placed Harry back into it. He yawned and rubbed his eyes sleepily. Severus adjusted the seat so he could take a nap if he was tired. He tapped the awning twice to activate the shield. They went into the toy store. It was very noisy with over stimulated children running amuck, parents calling to them and all kinds of clicks, whirrs, and other strange sounds coming from the toys lining the shelves. They were going down an aisle full of stuffed animals when Harry decided he liked a cinnamon colored Teddy bear and summoned it off the shelf to him. It was almost as big as him.

Severus, Eileen, Tobias watched in amazement. "I wonder if this is the first time he's shown magic," Eileen said.

Severus shrugged. "There's no way to know unless Lily might have told Alice Longbottom."

Harry gave the bear a big hug. "Well, we know he likes stuffed animals," Tobias said to Eileen.

By the time they left the store, Harry had acquired an assortment of toys including blocks, puzzles, games, coloring books and a full-scale model of the Hogwarts Express and his stuffed bear. Severus figured he was going to have to transfigure a toy chest for him.

"Do you want to stay for dinner, Mum?" Severus asked as he lifted Harry out of his stroller. "Reginald and I won't be able to go to Petunia's until after dark."

Shortly after dinner, Reginald came through the Floo armed with the guardianship papers. Severus pocketed his magical camera.

"Where are we going, Severus?" Reginald asked.

"Number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey," Severus answered then realized he had no idea how he knew Petunia's address. He figured Lily must have mentioned it at one time in one of her notes to him."

"Good. I'm acquainted with the area and can side-along apparate you, if you don't mind?"

"No, that's fine."

They apparated to Wisteria Walk and made their way to Privet Drive. Severus held Reginald back then performed a complex motion with his wand that caused a heavy fog to form around the whole of Privet Drive. "

"That's in case Dumbledore has somebody planted in the neighborhood to watch Harry."

"If he does, they weren't doing a very good job of it because they didn't notice he was being abused," Reginald replied.

They strode to the porch of Number 4 and rang the bell. They heard somebody yell loudly, "If it's one of those bloody charity groups, Pet, tell them we're not supporting a bunch of lazy beggars sitting on their fat arses and on the dole instead of working hard like I do!"

The porch light came on and the door opened. When Petunia saw Severus, she attempted to slam the door shut again, but Severus easily pushed it open, pushed Petunia out of the way, and came inside.

Vernon Dursley threw down his paper and got up. Severus almost started laughing when he saw Vernon. He was about the size of a killer whale; given his comment about people sitting around on their fat arses. "What the meaning of this?" He roared. He was sporting a huge mustache and had small, squinty eyes.

"This is my precious sister's freaky friend that used to live in really rundown part of the neighborhood." Petunia snapped. "He's the one that told her what she was …a freak!

Severus held onto his temper and ignored Petunia. After all, he'd heard her tirade many times before. "We have some papers you two need to sign …Tuney," Severus said, using the hated nickname Lily had given her."

"We're not signing anything!" Vernon snapped.

"You are unless you want me to turn you over to Wizarding child services for abuse and believe me they take that very seriously. You could end up in Azkaban and lose your son." Severus said with a smirk.

Petunia paled at that. She remembered the stories he'd told Lily about that place she'd overheard while eavesdropping on them. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Or I could turn you over to the Muggle authorities and you'd most likely lose custody of your son also."

'We didn't abuse the little freak. He refused to obey so we punished him," Vernon said in a righteous tone.

"He's a baby. He doesn't know any better, you fool dunderheads!" Severus snapped. "Now sign these papers before I summon somebody from wizard child services."

Petunia grabbed the papers from Severus and quickly scribbled her name. She gave them to Vernon. "Just sign them, Vernon. We never wanted the spoiled, bratty freak anyway and we certainly don't want any trouble from _their _world."

Vernon signed the papers and thrust them back at Severus. "There! Now leave our house and don't ever come back!"

Severus took out his wand, pointed it at Petunia and Vernon and said, "_Petrificus Totalus_." They both fell on the couch "Sorry," He apologized to Reginald. "But I want to look around." He glanced at Petunia and Vernon. Their eyes were open and moving from side to side frantically.

"Of course," Reginald replied nodding. "I was noticing their pictures while you were talking to them and there aren't any pictures of Harry anywhere that I can see."

They went upstairs quickly and looked around. There were three bedrooms and a large nursery, but it had only one occupant. They came back downstairs, both looking confused.

"Where we're they keeping Harry?" Severus asked.

Both of them looked around on the ground floor. There was the kitchen, dining room, living room and an attached gazebo leading out to the backyard, but no other bedroom. It was Reginald that spotted the cupboard under the stairs and opened it. "Here is where they were keeping him, Severus."

Severus looked in and saw the thin mattress on the floor with a dirty, crumpled quilt lying on top of it. Severus knew instinctively that Lily had made the quilt for Harry.

"The place is dusty, dirty and filled with spiders," Reginald said in disgust. "Not fit for even an animal much less a child!"

Severus got out his camera and took a couple of pictures of the interior then pointed his wand at the quilt and said, "_Accio_!" He grabbed it when it zoomed towards him and then did a quick _Reparo_ and _Scourgify_ on it, shrank it, and put it in his pocket. He went back over to where the Dursley's lay. He looked into Petunia's eyes, pointed his wand at her and said, "_Somnus_." When they were both asleep, he positioned Vernon in his recliner and Petunia on the couch. He turned on the television.

"What did you do to the Dursley's?"

"I put them to sleep. When they wake up they'll just thinks they fell asleep in front of the telly and they won't remember if we really visited them or they dreamed it."

"That's really quite Slytherin of you," Reginald complimented him.

They apparated back to Severus' house. Reginald spoke to Eileen and Tobias for a moment then bade Severus farewell. He said he would file the guardianship papers with the Ministry immediately. He disappeared into the Floo.

Severus scooped up Harry out of the Tobias' lap. "Guess what, Harry? You're going to live here with me and Tita permanently. You won't ever have to go back to that horrible place you were living at before." Remembering Harry's quilt, he took it out of his pocket and resized it. Harry's eyes widened at the sight of it and he held on to it tightly. He sat down next to Tobias with Harry in his lap. "It looks as if you've been busy." He glanced down at the origami animals Tobias had made for Harry. As a Royal Marine he had spent some time in Japan and learned how to do origami. Severus spotted a swan, duck, horse, squirrel, rabbit and even an elephant. "It looks as if you've got quite a zoo here."

Tobias chuckled as he got up. "Well you know me, Sev. Once I get started on these I just keep on going."

Eileen kissed Severus on his cheek. "Don't forget to owl your grandparents about Harry, Sev. I know they'll be thrilled to hear the news."

"Okay, Mum. I'll do it before I go to bed," Severus promised.

After his parents left, Severus summoned parchment, ink, and a quill. He wrote a quick note about his becoming Harry's guardian. He took his camera out of his pocket and levitated it so if was floating in front of him and Harry. "Okay, Harry smile for grandfather and grandmum." Harry giggled and clapped. He took a picture of Harry and himself and included it with his note. He whistled for his Eagle owl, Aesculapius, but Morgana came flying into the room instead and landed in front of him.

"Gana! Gana!" Harry cried, reaching out for her. It was no surprise to him that Harry recognized the Great Grey owl as she had originally belonged to Lily and had taken up residence with him after Lily's death. He scratched the owl's head and asked, "Feeling up to a flight to Yorkshire, girl?"

Morgana gave a soft chirp and held out her leg. Severus fixed the note to her leg and she took off. The owls had their own entrance to fly in and out of on the third floor. Both roosted in a small room containing the entrance.

"Mummy," Harry said, pointing at where the owl had been.

"Yes, Morgana was your mum's owl originally. I remember when we brought her and my owl at Eeylops Owl Emporium before our first year. Lily was so thrilled with Diagon Alley I'll bet she dragged me into every store there." He kissed the top of Harry's head. "You know your mummy loved you very much, Harry and she'll always be right in here," Severus said, pointing to Harry heart. He took out his wand, waved it over the origami animals Tobias had made for Harry and grabbed up Harry's bear. They rose and floated in front of Severus and Harry whose eye widened at the sight of them and he giggled. Severus carried Harry upstairs to his bedroom and levitated the animals to an empty shelf in his bookcase. "I think they look good there." He got Harry undressed and into a new pair of midnight blue pajamas with feet and decorated with gold stars. He laid Harry down on his bed and cast a barrier across the side to prevent him from rolling off, and tucked his bear in beside him. He picked up his copy of _A Christmas Carol_, kicked off his shoes and got into bed beside Harry. He read to him softly until he had fallen asleep. He was still clutching his quilt tightly. Severus imagined it was the only familiar thing he still had after Dumbledore dumped him off at the Dursley's. Severus got out of bed carefully and transfigured a log into a child-sized wardrobe where he hung up or put into drawers all of Harry's new clothes. He read his potion journal until he was tired enough to go to sleep and then banked the fire in the fireplace, undressed, brushed his teeth and went to bed. He noxed the lights, put his arm around Harry and fell to sleep. Somewhere else, Lily smiled as she watched them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **All the previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 3**

Severus was woken the next morning by Harry giggling and patting his cheek. Severus smiled as he realized it apparently was going to be a morning routine with them. He opened one eye then closed it again. Harry started giggling again and patting his cheek. Severus opened both eyes, rolled Harry over, and started to tickle him, much to Harry's delight. He got out of bed and scooped Harry up and into his arms. He carried him over to the window, pulled open the drapes, and looked out. It was still foggy, drizzly, windy and probably cold. Severus pointed across the street. "That's the Chelsea Psychic Gardens. It was founded by the Society of Apothecaries in 1673. They were really wizards and Potion Masters and founded the gardens to promote the study of Herbology in relation to medicinal potions. When the weather's nice again, we'll go over there." He took Harry into the bathroom, filled the bathtub with warm water and a lot of bubbles, levitated Harry's bath toys in then got Harry undressed and into the tub. Harry giggled, played with his toys while splashing water all over Severus and the floor. After washing and rinsing his hair, Severus lifted Harry out of the tub and dried him off. He carried Harry over to the wardrobe he'd transfigured the night before, set Harry down in front of it, and opened it. "What do you think, Harry? Anything strike your fancy?"

Harry smiled, looked at the arrangement of clothing and then pointed to a pair of green corduroy pants and a black sweatshirt with a picture of a dragon that breathed fire and _ Chinese Fireball_ written in gold underneath it. "Good job, little guy," Severus said. He got the clothes on and socks and trainers on his feet. "Tita?" Severus called.

Tita popped into the room. "Yes, Mr. Severus. What can Tita do for you?"

"Can you please take Harry with you while I shower and get dressed?"

"Tita can do that. Master Harry can watch while Tita makes breakfast."

Tita took Harry's hand and led him out of the bedroom. Harry didn't appear to be scared of her, but maybe that was because she was only slightly taller than him or else because he had been used to the Potter house elves.

Severus attended to his morning ablutions, and then dressed in tight, faded jeans, his Slytherin House sweatshirt and trainers. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen where Tita was scrambling eggs, making French toast with a sprinkle of nutmeg in the batter, and frying bacon and bangers. Harry was sitting in his highchair and watching Tita in fascination. When breakfast was on the table, Severus moved Harry's highchair to the table. He buttered a piece of French toast and cut it up into small squares, put some scrambled eggs on his plate, cut up a sausage into bite size pieces, and did the same with a slice of bacon. He poured Harry some milk and added the nutrient potion to it. He set the plate in front of him and the milk. "There you go little guy. Enjoy."

"Mr. Severus, it's not proper for you and the young master to be eating in the kitchen." Tita said. "Master Harry is not learning proper decorum unless Mr. Severus be teaching him."

"I want Harry to grow up knowing how much the elves do for us. I don't want him growing up and thinking the elves are here to wait on him hand and foot like some of the people I went to Hogwarts with, but you've got a point, Tita. What about a compromise? We'll eat breakfast in the kitchen unless we have company and in that case, we'll eat in the dining room. All other meals will be eaten in the dining room."

Tita thought for a moment and then nodded and said, "Tita will accept Mr. Severus' decision."

After breakfast, Severus and Harry played with some of his new toys and games. He heard the floo and looked up to find Reginald's head sitting in the fireplace. "May I come through, Severus?"

"Sure," Severus replied and got up off the floor and picked Harry up. Reginald came through, brushing himself off before he stepped out of the fireplace. "I wanted to let you know what I found out when I went to the Ministry to file your guardianship papers and checked the Potter's wills"

"What did you find out?" Severus asked curiously.

"It seems Mr. and Mrs. Potter had a difference of opinion about who their child's guardians should be. Mr. Potter specified Sirius Black and Mary McDonald as Harry's guardians and Mrs. Potter specified you and Alice Longbottom to be his guardians. Mrs. Potter specifically stated Harry was not to be placed with her sister, Petunia Dursley. As Mrs. Potter survived Mr. Potter, if only by a short time, her instructions should have been followed. I checked with Mrs. Longbottom and she's fine with you being Harry's guardian. I swore her to secrecy on that."

"Did you find out anything from the Gringotts' Goblins?"

"They were quite incensed to find out they had been lied to because they said Dumbledore showed them papers claiming him as Harry's guardian and having the right to the Potter vaults. They going to take the money he paid the Dursley's out of his vault and return to Harry's vault."

"Sounds like everything's straightened out then," Severus remarked. "I know it's only going to be a matter of time before Dumbledore finds out I have Harry, but at least we're on solid legal ground if he tries anything."

"If the Wizarding public were to see those pictures you took of Harry, they'd be after Dumbledore with a noose!" Reginald declared.

Severus made a face as he remembered how uncaring Dumbledore was about anybody, but the Gryffindors. He probably thought he was above criticism by the wizard in the street. He thanked Reginald for the timely information and Reginald left.

After lunch, Severus laid Harry down for a nap on the couch in his study and worked on some of his notes for the new potion he was a researching. It was a fertility potion for witches and wizards who had trouble conceiving. There had never been any kind of help for them before. Severus glanced over at the couch where Harry was sleeping, covered by his quilt and clutching his bear. He got up and quietly walked out into the living room and down the stairs to the lower level where there was a small room. It was considered a bedroom, but it was empty at this point and Severus decided to make it into a playroom for Harry. He pointed his wand at the white walls and said, "_Pingo Caeruleus_." With a smooth motion he painted the formerly white wall to a sky blue then said, "_Flabra_," as he directed his wand around him, drying the paint with a blast of wind. When he was certain the paint was dry, he said, "_Pingo Nebula_," and painted fluffy white clouds all over the walls and the ceiling, making the room look as if it were inside a cloud.

"Da …Da." He heard a small voice calling and quickly walked back into his study. Harry was awake and sitting up, trying to get off the couch, but the barrier was preventing him. Severus removed the barrier and scooped Harry up into his arms. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Harry nodded and gave Severus a big smile. He carried him into the lower level room and set him down. "What do you think, Harry. This is going to be your play room once I get some furniture. For that though we need to go to your grandpa's store. I could transfigure it, but I don't want to hurt his feelings."

Harry looked around him in awe. He had never had a room such as this before. He tugged at Severus' pant leg and pointed at the clouds. "Da?"

Severus knelt down beside him. "Those are clouds, Harry. They're up in the sky." Severus pointed upwards. He scooped Harry into his arms. "Would you like to go for a ride and see grandpa again?"

Harry nodded and clapped his hands. "Okay," Severus replied. "Let's get you ready to go." He carried Harry upstairs and got him dressed in his coat, hat, scarf, mittens and boots that Eileen had bought for him yesterday. He got on his coat and grabbed his Slytherin scarf, wrapping it around his neck. He carried Harry downstairs and stopped briefly to let Tita know they'd be back in about an hour. The entrance to the garage was in the basement. Severus set Harry down in the garage next to his sleek, black Aston-Martin V-8 Vantage convertible while he transfigured a plastic bottle into a comfortable car seat. He strapped Harry in securely and got in the other side. He was glad his dad had insisted on him learning how to drive when he was seventeen as he did find it convenient when he couldn't floo or apparate. He waved his wand at the garage door and it opened. He backed carefully out into the street and headed to Mayfair shopping district where Tobias was opening his London shop. It took him about fifteen minutes to find a parking spot and Harry helped him feed the meter. He walked the short distance to his father's store. He could see Tobias talking to somebody in the front room, surrounded by his fine wood furniture. Severus knocked on the door and waved. Tobias smiled and let him in. "Sev, what are you doing here?"

"I find myself in need of some children's furniture for Harry, Dad."

"Come on in and we'll go back to my office and take a look at the catalogues." Tobias led Severus into his office and said, "Have a seat while I find the catalogues." He poked around in the piles of stuff lying on his desk and on the chest behind his desk. "Ahh! Here we are." He gave the catalogue to Severus. "Now, what do you need in the way of furniture for Harry? Are you setting up a bedroom for him?"

Severus shook his head. "No. I'm setting up a playroom and I need some furniture for that. I was thinking a toy chest, a child-sized table and chairs, a desk and a chair, and maybe a sofa that he can lay down on when he gets tired."

"I have just the thing. Let me see that catalogue." He quickly thumbed through it and found what he was looking for. "How about this? The table and chairs are made of mahogany and their very sturdy. I have a miniature roll-top desk and chair in mahogany also. The toy box would be of the same wood and I can make it look like a pirates' chest and put Harry's initial on it. I can have them transported down in a day or two from my Manchester store

"That's exactly what I'm looking for. What about a sofa?"

"I have one in the back I think will work out fine."

Severus and Harry followed his dad to the storage area of the store where there was a great deal of activity with people unpacking boxes and assembling the furniture for the showroom. Tobias walked over to a small sea blue sofa with an aqua green seahorse and brown starfish pattern. "This is a toddler size sofa so I reckon it'll be perfect for Harry."

"Yeah, Dad, that will be perfect. What do you think, Harry? Do you want to try it out?" He set Harry down on the floor by the sofa. Harry looked up at Severus with a confused expression on his face.

"Go ahead, Harry and try it out," Severus urged.

Harry smiled and then agilely climbed onto the sofa and sat up.

Severus nodded and said, "Okay, lie down for a moment. I want to make sure you'll be able to sleep comfortably on it if you want to."

Harry laid down lengthwise on the couch and Severus nodded. "Looks like a perfect fit, Dad."

"I'll put it aside until the rest of the furniture gets here and then we can set up a delivery time," Tobias said.

"Okay. How much do I owe you?"

"Well, you get a family discount of course," Tobias joked and named a figure.

"Sounds fair," Severus replied and took out his checkbook. He had both his Gringotts account and a Muggle bank account. He wrote out the check and gave it to his father.

They said goodbye, promising to come over for dinner sometime during the next week. Severus took Harry outside and strapped him securely into his car seat. It was getting dark so early now so Severus drove around for a bit so Harry could see all the Christmas lights. "We'll have to go shopping for a Christmas tree too pretty soon," Severus said to Harry. He remembered when his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Evans, Lily and he would go shopping together for their Christmas trees. Petunia always refused to come.

Tita had dinner ready by the time they got home. Severus watched Harry eating with a good appetite. The nutrient potion was definitely helping him and it wouldn't be long before he weighed what a child his age should weigh. He gave Harry a bath and put him to bed at eight o'clock because tomorrow was a work day and it would be Harry's first day at St. Mungo's daycare. He read another chapter of _A Christmas Carol_ to Harry and after he had fallen to sleep clutching his quilt and his bear, Severus read his potion journal for awhile before going to getting undressed and going to sleep.

Severus alarm went off at six the next morning. He opened his eyes and looked over to see Harry was sitting up and talking quietly to his bear. "Good morning, little guy. I guess it time to get up."

He showered, got dressed in his green Muggle scrubs and then got Harry dressed. They ate in the kitchen and after they finished, Severus gathered up Harry's bear and a vial of his nutrient potion. He cast a _Glamour Charm_ over Harry so he looked more like Severus and they flooed over to St. Mungo's. Severus carried Harry down the hall to a set of double doors over which a sign read _Happy Hallows Daycare_. Severus knew Harry would be safe here. The daycare was heavily warded to protect the children in case the hospital was attacked. He waited outside the wards until a young woman not even five feet, in her early thirties with shoulder-length blondish brown hair and blue hazel eyes escorted him through the wards. Once he'd gone through them the wards would recognize his magical signature and allow him through. She held out her hand. "I'm Sherry Jancek, the Directress. Your mum stopped by and mentioned to me that you would be enrolling your son in our daycare."

Severus bent and set Harry down on the floor. "Harry, this is Mrs. Jancek. Can you say hello?"

Harry smiled, gave her a small wave and then buried his face in Severus' shoulder.

"He's kind of shy," Severus explained. "How many children do you have here?"

"We have 19 children at the moment and they range in ages from 1 to 4 years. We have basic lessons in learning the alphabet, counting, and learning their colors for the older children and when the weather's nice we take the children on outings around the city. I have two assistants and two volunteers who help with the children."

Severus took the vial of the nutrient potion out of his pocket and gave it to Mrs. Jancek. "This is Harry's nutrient potion. You can pour it in his juice at snack time or at lunch." He bent down to Harry's level. "You go with Mrs. Jancek and I'll see you at lunchtime. Give me a hug first though." Harry gave Severus a big hug.

She held out her hand to him and he took it. "The children call me Miss Sherry and we have two other boys your age, Neville and Teddy who will be happy to meet you."

Severus watched Harry toddle off with Mrs. Jancek. Harry stopped and turned around and he gave him a final wave and then left. On his way to the Potions Research Department, Severus stopped and made an appointment with the pediatric oculist for Wednesday morning at eight. He made a mental note to inform Mrs. Jancek that Harry would be coming in later that morning.

Severus came back at lunchtime and saw that Harry was seated at a table with two other boys his age. He seemed to be enjoying his lunch and the company. Miss Sherry came over when she saw Severus. "How's Harry doing?"

"He cried a little bit when you left, but then Neville and Teddy came over and got him involved in helping them with their project; they're building a scale-model of Hogwarts and he was okay once he started helping them."

"Well, I'm glad to see he's adjusting okay. He hasn't been around children his own age much. I'll just go over and say hi as I did promise him I'd be back at lunchtime. Severus walked over to Harry and when Harry saw him, he shouted, "Da!" and jumped up spilling his orange juice. He looked down at the mess fearfully than up at Severus as if he was expecting to be hit. Severus scooped him up into his arms. "Don't worry, Harry. It was an accident."

Miss Sherry came over and pulled out her wand and pointed it at the spilled juice. "_Tergeo_," and siphoned it up and then said, "_Accio Orange juice pitcher_." She grabbed hold of the pitcher as it came floating to her and poured Harry another glass of juice. "There we go, Harry. No harm done."

Severus gave Harry a kiss than set him back down in his chair. "Who are your friends, Harry? Can you introduce me?" He encouraged.

Harry smiled and pointed at Neville and Teddy. "Nebble and Tedee." He pointed up at Severus. "Da."

Severus almost wanted to laugh. Potter must be revolving in his grave at top speed to hear his son calling his worst enemy 'Da.' "I'm pleased to meet you guys." Severus said. He easily recognized both children as Neville Longbottom and Theodore Nott. He bent down next to Harry. "I have to go back to work now, but I'll come back and we'll go home when I'm done with work. Give me a hug."

Harry gave him a hug, waved and began eating his lunch again. Severus took Miss Sherry aside and explained, "I just recently got custody of Harry. I'm actually his guardian, but I do plan to adopt him. He was living with his mum's sister and her husband; they hate magic and treated him badly and I suspect abused him and that's why he looked so frightened when he spilled his juice because he was expecting to be hit. That's also why he needs the nutrient potion because they didn't feed him properly. I doubt he's been around other children at all so his social skills probably aren't what they should be for his age."

"I'm glad you told me so I know what to do to help him get over his fears and how to help him develop his social skills."

"I work in the Potions Research Department so if you need me for any reason you can send somebody to get me."

Severus went back to work and at the end of the day went back to _Happy Hallows_ to pick up Harry. Harry ran up to him holding a picture he had drawn and colored. Severus looked at it and smiled, "Good job, little guy. I know just the place to put this." He picked Harry up and flooed home. Once they were home Severus put a sticking charm on Harry's drawing and lifted Harry up so he could put his drawing on the door of the refrigerator. "There, now Tita can enjoy it too."

"Very nice drawing, Master Harry," Tita complimented him. She turned to Severus and said in a soft voice. "Master Tiberius and Mistress Audra fire-called Tita today and wants to know what they should get Master Harry for Christmas."

"Hmm …maybe they could get some coloring books and crayons for him."

On Wednesday morning Severus took Harry for his appointment with the pediatric oculist and waited while he examined Harry's eyes. When she was finished she shook her head. "As far as I can tell Harry has perfect vision. You said his father had very bad vision?"

"Yes. If his glasses got knocked off he couldn't see past his nose."

"Well, what I'm going to do is make an appointment for you to bring Harry back in six months and I'll check him again so if his vision has changed we'll catch it early and I can prescribe glasses for him, but if you notice anything in the meantime such as Harry complaining of headaches, squinting a lot, or rubbing his eyes you can bring him in sooner."

"Okay. I'll keep an eye out for those symptoms."

Two weeks passed and Harry was coming out of his shell more, talking about 'Nebble and Tedee.' Miss Sherry gave Severus a permission slip to sign that would allow Harry to go on a trip to Harrods Department Store to see Santa Claus. Severus signed the permission slip without hesitation since he was certain Harry wouldn't be sighted by any Death Eaters because they were expecting him to be with Petunia.

Harry came home after his trip to see Santa Claus with a picture taken of him sitting on Santa's lap and a small teddy bear each child had received courtesy of Harrods. Severus framed the picture and placed it on his desk in his study. The furniture for Harry's playroom was delivered the same day and Tobias came along to help his crew get everything situated.

On Saturday morning, the 19th of December, Severus opened up the **_Dailey Prophet_ **to find the headline, _**The Boy-Who-Lived Missing!**_ It seemed a neighbor of the Dursley's, Arabella Figg, a Squib, put in the neighborhood by Dumbledore to keep an eye on the Potter boy, had become suspicious when she saw the Dursley leaving on a trip and did not see Harry Potter going with them. She notified Dumbledore and he and two Aurors, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black went out to the house to have a look around, but found no signs of Harry anywhere.

"Crap!" Severus muttered.

"Mr. Severus!" Tita scolded. "You is not watching what you says around Master Harry."

"Sorry Tita." Severus apologized. "You're right." He was still frowning at the newspaper when he heard the Floo sound. He went into the living room and knelt down in front of the fireplace to see Eileen's head floating in the fire. "Sev, have you seen the _**Prophet**_ this morning?"

"I was just reading it, Mum. I took Harry away from them three weeks ago and Figg just now noticed he was gone? She couldn't be keeping a very good eye on him."

"Dumbledore's bound to find out where Harry is with the help from Black and Lupin," Eileen said.

"They don't know where you or I live and can't find out because of the _Fidelius Charm_ on both our houses so if they do figure out it's me who has Harry, they'll probably come to St. Mungo's. If they do, I'll notify you first and then keep them busy long enough for you to collect Harry from the daycare. Miss Sherry knows only me, you, or dad is allowed to pick him up, but not anybody else. You can bring him here or take him to your house."

"Okay, Sev. I'll be on the alert then. Oh! Toby wanted me to tell you that he's been working on making magical animals with his origami and I must say they're looking pretty good. I bought him a copy of _Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them_ to help him."

"He can make Harry some the next time you're over." Severus replied. He grinned as he got up from the fireplace. Knowing his dad he probably would have them looking like the real thing before too long.

On the following Monday afternoon, a co-worker came up to Severus and nervously said that Professor Dumbledore and two Aurors were waiting outside the lab wanting to speak to him.

Severus nodded and requested, "Please tell them I'll be out in a few moments."

When he co-worker had left, Severus quickly left by another entrance; the lab had several in case of fire, and walked to Eileen's office. She saw patients on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and worked in the Brewing Lab on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She fortunately had a light schedule today and had just finished with her last patient. "Mum, Dumbledore is waiting outside the lab to see me so could you please pick up Harry for me?"

"Certainly, Sev," Eileen said with a nod. "I'll leave right now."

Severus walked back to the Potions Research Lab went out the main door and saw Dumbledore, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They were both dressed in red robes with blue trim that signified they were Aurors. Severus found that quite amusing. Did they really think they could scare him into returning Harry? "Gentlemen, I understand you want to see me," Severus said. He could barely keep the sneer out of his voice. He was dressed in his green Muggle scrubs and wearing a lightweight robe that was spelled to prevent stains and burns. It had a gold cauldron on the left pocket indicating he was a Potion Master and his name in gold underneath it.

"You have my godson, Snivellus and you'd better give him back! Merlin only knows what you've done to him!" Sirius snapped.

"Sirius!" Remus snapped. "Your attitude will not get us anywhere." He stood apart from Black and Dumbledore, looking irritated as if he wanted be anywhere but where he was.

"We know you have him, Severus. I managed to contact Petunia and she told me how you accused her of abusing Harry and took him away. He needs to go back there because of the blood wards," Dumbledore said.

"Blood wards be damned! The Dursley's _were_ abusing him and I've got proof of it. You never checked on him after you dumped him on the Dursley's doorstep and didn't even bother to ring the bell and tell them he was there."

"I left them a letter," Dumbledore said his eyes hardening.

"And do you know if it was still there when they found Harry in the morning? Maybe they didn't know who dumped Harry on their doorstep or why."

"Knock off the twenty questions, Snivellus and just tell us where my godson is."

"Harry lives with me, but unfortunately I can't tell you where that is as I'm not the Secret Keeper," Severus smirked at Black."

"We can arrest you, Snivellus and make you talk."

"You don't have any justification Black so shut your face. My lawyer informed me that Lily appointed Alice Longbottom and me as Harry's guardians and since Lily survived Potter and it doesn't matter how long, her dictates should have been followed. Her will also specifically states that she did not want Harry left with Petunia."

"Lily used the old magic of blood to protect Harry from the Killing Curse; how else do you think he survived and that's why he needs to go back to Petunia," Dumbledore said.

"Since you weren't present when Voldemort killed Lily you don't know what she might have used to protect Harry. Nobody does. In addition to being an Auror, Lily was very talented at Charms and she could have invented a spell to protect Harry when she knew Voldemort wanted to kill him," Severus replied.

"If you don't voluntarily return Harry I will have you in front of the Wizengamot," Dumbledore threatened.

"I guess I'll see you in court then."

"I'll get James' son away from you, you slimy snake!" Sirius threatened as he followed Dumbledore out. He was so angry he didn't notice Remus had stayed behind.

"Can I do something for you, Lupin?" Severus asked seeing that he had remained behind.

"Look, Severus it wasn't my idea to come here. I don't agree with what Albus and Sirius are doing. I know that Lily didn't want Harry left with her sister." He shifted uncomfortably. "I was wondering if I could visit Harry sometime. I haven't seen him since before James and Lily went into hiding." He sighed and then added somewhat bitterly. "Lily wanted me to be their Secret Keeper, but James didn't trust me because many of the werewolves were siding with Voldemort."

"Well, that's pretty stupid. He'd been friends with you all through Hogwarts and you're an Auror and were Lily's partner and he thought you'd betray them to Voldemort?"

"James was never the person everybody thought he was as you obviously knew. Lily told me he was angry at her when she got pregnant with Harry because he didn't want children so soon and she said he barely paid any attention to Harry unless there were other people around."

After hearing Lupin's story Severus made an instant decision and said, "Why don't you come over tonight? Meet me at the floo here at five o'clock."

"That's very generous of you Severus. I'm sharing Sirius' quarters at Grimmauld Place, but he spends most of his off hours tracking down tips about Peter so he's rarely home in the evenings."

Okay, I'll see you then." Severus turned and went back into Potions Research, his robe billowing out behind him.

Remus smiled recalling how James and Sirius always wondered how Severus got his robes to billow like that and swore he must be using some dark spell.

**A/N: **The character of the _Happy Hallows Daycare_ Directress is based on a good friend of mine who actually ran a daycare where the children called her Miss Sherry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 4**

Remus was waiting by the floo when Severus walked in at five o'clock. He stepped into the floo with Remus following him. Eileen was sitting on the couch with Harry in her lap reading to him when they stepped out of the floo.

"Da!" Harry cried struggling to get down off of Eileen's lap. She set him on the floor and he ran over to Severus, holding up his arms.

Severus picked him up. "Hi Harry, did you have a nice day?"

Harry nodded. "I helped on our castle. Miss Sherry said we did real good."

That was undoubtedly the longest sentence Severus had heard Harry say since coming to live with him. He struggled to get down out of Severus' arms so Severus set him down. "Da, I drawed you a picture."

"You did? Well, let me see it," Severus said.

Harry brought his picture over and gave it to Severus. "That looks just fine; Harry and I think I'll hang it in a special place." He went into his study with Harry following him. He pinned it up on the cork bulletin board above his desk. "Now I can look at it whenever I want. Thank you, Harry."

Harry grinned and Severus scooped him back up into his arms again. "Harry, I'd like you to meet someone. This is Remus Lupin who was a good friend of your mum's."

"Remmy!" Harry cried.

Remus looked amazed. "He used to call me that. I can't believe he still remembers me." He picked him up. "I haven't seen you for over a year, Harry."

"Mum, this is Remus Lupin. He was Lily's partner when she was an Auror."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin." Eileen said shaking his hand. She turned to Severus. "I'll be going, Sev. Your father's coming home for the weekend and he'll be arriving soon."

"Okay, Mum. Thanks for watching Harry. Tell dad I said hi."

"That's what grandmum's are for, Sev. I'll fire-call you later about Christmas."

"Why don't you stay for supper, Remus?" Severus asked, leading Remus into the dining room. "I think Tita has it about ready."

Once he was gone, Eileen stepped into the fireplace, threw down the floo powder and said, "Snape House, Manchester."

Severus piled some cushions on a chair next to Remus and cast a sticking charm on them so they couldn't fall off the chair. He picked Harry up and set him on top of the pillows and moved his chair close to the table. "There that's about right." He filled Harry's plate with food and cut it up in small pieces and then set it down in front of him. He filled a glass with milk and added the nutrient potion. "Okay, eat up. Mum, prescribed a nutrient potion for him because I suspect the Dursley's didn't feed him regularly or gave him very little food. Black should be concentrating on people like them rather than on Pettigrew. He'll never catch him anyway."

"I'm really glad Harry's staying with you, Severus. If he was staying with us, Sirius would be doing his best to turn him into a miniature Marauder with all their worst qualities and I don't want to see that happen."

"If Dumbledore insists on taking this before the Wizengamot, he's going to end up with a black eye when the Wizarding public finds out he dumped the 'Boy-Who-Lived on the doorstep of a couple of child abusers."

They finished dinner. Harry had surprised Severus by wanting a second helping. He lifted Harry off the chair and set him on the floor. Harry took Remus' hand and pulled on it. "Remmy, go."

"I think Harry wants to show you his playroom," Severus guessed.

"Okay, Harry you lead the way and I'll follow you," Remus replied. Harry took his hand and pulled him in the direction of his playroom. Severus followed them.

Harry plopped down on the floor and patted the floor beside him. Remus looked at Severus in confusion.

"He wants you to engineer the Hogwarts Express," Severus said pointing to the train tracks that ran around and underneath the furniture. "I do it nightly."

"I can do that," Remus replied sitting down on the floor next to Harry who crawled into his lap. Remus took his wand out of his pocket, waved it and the Hogwarts Express began its journey around the tracks. After they ran the train for awhile, Harry showed Remus his toys and he showed him the origami animals Tobias had made for him.

"Your father made these out of paper and without magic?" Remus asked clearly amazed.

"Yes, my dad's a Muggle and he was stationed in Japan for a time while he was a Royal Marine and that's where he learned origami. Mum said he's learning how to do magical creatures now. She got him a copy of '_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_' and he using that."

Harry yawned and blinked sleepily. He held his arms up to Severus and he bent down and scooped him up into the crook of his arm. Harry put his arm around Severus' neck and lay his cheek against Severus' shoulder."

"Well, I'd better be going," Remus said. "Sirius will probably be home soon and I don't want to have him asking a lot of questions."

If you can wait a second I'll go get something from my lab."

Remus nodded and Severus left the room. He was back in a few minutes with holding a small box that contained several vials of a bluish liquid. "These are Wolfsbane Potion. These should last you for a few months and I'll be able to brew more by the time those are gone."

Remus' face turned a deep red. "Thank you and I'd like to explain about what James and Sirius did to you fifth year. You see when I transform I have no memory of what I did and I've always relied on them to fill me in. Apparently, they decided not to mention that night to me. I only recently found out what happened when Sirius got stinking drunk, thought I was James, and decided to relive some of the Marauders better 'pranks' most of them against you. I was furious when I found out he and James had used my condition to try to scare you away from Lily."

"Severus shook his head. "I never held it against you although you probably did scare ten years off of me, but I figured it was Potter's and Black's doing. They hated me so much they didn't care what happened to anybody else as long as it got rid of me."

"That's very decent of you to say that, Severus."

"It's the truth. Whenever you want to visit Harry send me an owl."

"I'll do that and thank you again."

"Say goodbye to Remmy, Harry."

"Bye, Remmy," Harry said waving sleepily.

"Goodbye Harry and I'll see you soon," Remus said returning his wave and stepping into the floo.

When he was gone, Severus got Harry ready for bed, read a chapter of '_A Christmas Carol_' until Harry fell asleep and then went to bed himself.

The next morning Severus and Harry, his mum and dad went to a magical Christmas tree lot to find their Christmas trees. Severus found a 7-foot Scots pine that he really liked for the living room and a smaller Norwegian Spruce that he planned to put in his bedroom for Harry. His dad and mum found a 6-foot high Norwegian Spruce. As with all magical trees they could be replanted once Christmas was over. As they had done ever since he was a child they would take them to his grandparents' manor and replant them there.

Two days before Christmas, Harry helped Severus decorate both trees with fairy light and ornaments. Severus had purchased three special ornaments for Christmas; one denoted Harry's first Christmas with Severus, one was a doe in remembrance of Lily, and the third was a broom in remembrance of James. Even though Severus still hated James' guts, he didn't want to pass that on to Harry. He lifted Harry up so he could place the tree topper on.

"Da, pretty!" Harry said pointing at the tree.

"Yes it is, Harry. You did a good job helping me with it."

On Christmas Eve day it started to snow and looked very pretty. Harry stood with his nose pressed against the window watching in awe. Severus stood next to him. "You know your mum loved it when it snowed. She used to send me an owl and wake me up early so we could be the very first ones to walk through the snow when we were at Hogwarts."

They flooed over to his mum's for Christmas Eve dinner and Harry opened his gifts that sat under the tree. "Da, look!" Harry said. He was holding a toy broom.

"He seemed to enjoy the ride down in the Gringotts cart that I thought he'd probably enjoy the toy broom. I made sure it's completely safe. It will only go up three feet and no further. It has a sticking charm on it and can't go very fast."

"It's okay, Mum. Actually, I was thinking about getting him a broom too. I figure if he's inherited his dad's talent then it should be developed."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Sev."

"Well, Lily wouldn't want me bad-mouthing his dad to him and I don't want to do it either."

"You're more generous than I'd be considering your history with him," Tobias remarked.

"Well, at some point before he goes to Hogwarts I will need to tell him about his father's and my history because I don't want him to get there and have to listen to Dumbledore telling him what a good man and hero his father was especially after Remus told me he got mad at Lily when she got pregnant and he hardly paid any attention to Harry unless there were people around."

"It figures," Tobias said with a shake of his head. "He was so spoiled by his parents he never grew up enough to be a parent himself. I still can't imagine what Lily saw in him."

"There had to be some good in him if Lily married him, Dad."

"I expect you're right, Sev."

Severus let Harry try out his broom before they went home that night. He was excited, but it appeared he was a natural on a broom. Severus scooped him up, shrank the broom and put it in his pocket. "It's time for little boys to be home and in bed so Santa Claus can come."

"Santa coming for Harry?" He asked in an uncertain tone.

"Definitely," Severus answered. Petunia and Vernon probably told him that freaks didn't deserve gifts for Christmas or any other time. He turned to his parents. "We'll come back at noon tomorrow to leave for grandpa and grandmum's."

"Fine, Sev. "We'll see you then. Happy Christmas," Eileen said.

"You and Dad, too." Severus said and flooed home. He place Harry's toy broom on top of the chest that sat at the foot of his bed. They got a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa and Severus got Harry ready for bed and read the last chapter of '_A Christmas Carol_' to him. After Harry had fallen asleep he went back downstairs where he and Tita pulled all the gifts he'd bought Harry out of their hiding places and placed them under the tree. Severus went upstairs again, got undressed and into bed. He lay with his arms behind his hand thinking about Lily and hoped she was pleased with him taking care of Harry. He didn't have the parent thing down really good yet, but he was trying. He rolled over and put his arm around Harry pulling him close and fell asleep so he didn't see Lily when she appeared. "I am pleased with the way you're taking care of Harry, Sev and I hope I'll see you both soon. Happy Christmas." She planted a light kiss on Severus' forehead and on Harry's cheek.

Severus woke up first on Christmas morning. He shook Harry awake and he rolled over, rubbing his eyes and looking up at Severus. "It's Christmas morning, little guy. Should we go downstairs and see what Santa bought you?"

Harry smiled. "Da, go down."

Severus helped him out of bed, got him into slippers and robe and then donned his own slippers and robe and they went downstairs and into the living room. The Christmas tree was brightly lit and piles of presents lay under it. Harry's eyes widened when he saw the sights.

"Are you ready to open some presents, Harry? It looks as if you've got a lot of them."

Severus transfigured two Christmas ornaments into pillows and they sat down next to the tree within easy reach of all the presents. He pulled them out from under the tree and gave them to Harry to open. He opened them carefully at first as if he couldn't believe they were his to open and nobody was going to hit him for opening them, but soon the paper and ribbons began to fly as he ripped into them. Among the gifts Severus had given him was a child's first potion kit. He figured if Harry had inherited his mum's talent for potions he would encourage it.

There were several presents under the tree for Tita and Severus handed them to her when she brought him tea and Harry a glass of milk with a plate of Christmas cookies. She thanked Severus and Harry and hurried back to the kitchen to get breakfast started. Severus knew that she was overcome by the gifts because most people didn't give their house elves Christmas gifts. After breakfast, he, Harry and Tita would be flooing to his mum's house and from there to his grandparents' manor.

There was one last gift still sitting under the tree. Harry pointed to it and said, "Da." He tried to pull it out, but it was too heavy for him. Severus stretched and pulled the gift from under the tree. He looked at the tag and was surprised to see it was for him, but shocked to see his name was written in Lily's elegant script. He loosened the ribbons, carefully peeled off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a book entitled _Moste Ancient Potions_. Severus had read about it in one of his potion journals. Wizarding archeologist had found well preserved manuscripts in a hidden cave in Wales ten years ago. They dated the parchment from the time of Merlin and after carefully translating the ancient language, discovered there were many ideas for potions and spells. On the inside cover Lily had written: _To Sev, Christmas 1981, Love, Lily_.

Severus gently ran his hand over the cover of the book, his memories of Lily overwhelming him; how she looked, the sound of her voice and the scent of lilacs that always surrounded her. A tug on his sleeve brought him back to the present. He looked down at Harry and into his eyes that were just like Lily's. "Da?"

Severus smiled and sat Harry into his lap. "Your mummy gave me this book, Harry, and it made me both happy because it's so like Lily to do something such as this and sad because your mummy isn't here any longer, but I've got you now and that makes me happy." He gave Harry a hug. "We should go upstairs and get dressed because I think Tita almost has Christmas breakfast ready."

They went upstairs and both got ready for the day. Harry wore black corduroy pants, a red jumper with a Christmas tree on it that changed different colors, and black trainers. Severus wore black slacks, a green jumper and black trainers also.

He and Harry were just sitting down to breakfast when he heard the floo sound and then heard Remus' voice, "Severus, may I come through?"

"It's Uncle Remmy," Severus said. He helped Harry down off his chair and Harry ran into the living room and stood in front of the fireplace.

Remus stepped out of the fireplace and waved his wand over himself to get rid of the ash. "I have a small gift for Harry."

"Have you had breakfast? Harry and I were just going to eat. You're welcome to join us."

"I'd be happy too. Thank you for asking. I'm afraid the Christmas spirit is rather thin at Grimmauld Place this year. We used to spend Christmas with James and Lily or Sirius did last year. Lily invited me, but James didn't want me there so I stayed away. Sirius is refusing to have anything to do with Christmas this year."

"Black always was a moron," Severus growled. "And if he thinks he going to get custody of Harry when his spare time is spent solely searching for Pettigrew, he's got another thing coming. Potter was an idiot too. He shouldn't have believed you go over to Voldemort because you suffer from Lycanthropy. He should have believed in your loyalty no matter what."

Remus sighed. "I guess James was never the person I believed him to be." He pulled a long thin box, wrapped in colorful paper and with a big bow. "I know Harry is too young to appreciate this right now, but I know he will later on."

Severus let Harry tear off the ribbons and paper and then took off the lid and pushed aside the tissue paper. He lifted the delicate wand out of the box. "This is Lily's wand. I'd recognize it anywhere since we bought our wands from Ollivander's at the same time. How did you get it? I thought the wand of any witch or wizard who died was destroyed by the Ministry."

Remus nodded as they sat down to breakfast. "Usually that's true, but I was sent out to their house in Godric's Hallow the day after to see if there was even the slightest physical trace left of You-Know-Who, but I couldn't find anything. His body must have be blown to ash. However I did find Lily's wand under Harry's cot. I guess it most have flown out of her hand and rolled under his cot when it happened. It was always my intention to give it to Harry."

"I'll keep it safe until Harry's old enough to get his own wand and I'll give it to him then," Severus promised. "Thank you for giving it to Harry instead of the Ministry."

"I'm glad I found it before anybody from the Ministry did."

Suddenly an owl flew into the room interrupting their breakfast. Severus noticed right away that it was a Ministry owl. It landed in front of him and stuck out its leg with an important air. He took the letter from the owl's leg and it flew off again. Severus opened it and read it quickly and then rolled his eyes his eyes in disgust. "The old coot sure knows how to spoil Christmas."

"What does it say?" Remus asked anxiously. Severus handed him the letter. He opened it and read:

_**December 25, 1981**_

_**To: Severus Tobias Snape**_

_**You are hereby ordered to appear before the Wizengamot on January 2, 1982 at nine o'clock to decide the custody of Harry James Potter.**_

_**Best Wishes at this joyful time of the year,**_

_**Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement**_

"I don't know how Albus managed to convince Crouch to do this. He doesn't like Albus and doesn't like his interference in things."

"I'm not worried. He's going to end up looking like a fool and with a great loss of respect once the Wizarding world find out about Harry being abused by the Dursley's," Severus said. He rolled up the note again, tied it, and whistled for Aesculapius. When he flew into the living room Severus gave him the note and said, "Take this to Reginald Winchester."

"Who's that?" Remus asked.

"My grandfather's main barrister. Dumbledore's going to wish he'd never messed with me."

Remus left again after breakfast. The Weasley's had invited him over for Christmas so he was headed to the Burrow. After Remus had left, Severus, Harry and Tita flooed over to his parent's house in Manchester. They would be flooing from there to Armorel, his grandparent's estate. It was near the North Sea. The name of the manor house meant 'dweller by the sea.'

Severus dressed Harry in his green dress robe and himself in his black dress robe, shrank the trunk containing their clothes and put it in his pocket. "Are you ready, Mum, Dad?"

"We're ready, Sev," Tobias answered. They flooed to an inn called the Dragon's Tail where his grandfather, Tiberius Prince was waiting as they stepped out of the Floo.

Tita bowed and said, "Tita is pleased to see Master Tiberius again. Tita will go along ahead and make sure Master Severus and Harry's room is ready." She popped out.

"So this is Harry. Your grandmother is so excited to meet him that I don't think she's sat down for five minutes all morning. Why don't you apparate first with Harry, Severus," Tiberius suggested. "I've already got the gate opened.

"Okay," Severus nodded and went outside. "Hang on to me tight, Harry." He turned on his heel and apparated. He appeared outside the front gates of Armorel. He pulled a vial of baby anti-nausea potion out of his coat pocket for Harry, but he seemed okay. The manor was unplottable and surrounded by centuries of wards, but Severus was able to see it because he was the heir. It was made of what looked like grey, quarried stone. It had two wings that had been built in the same style as the main house and with the same material. It meshed nicely architecturally and aesthetically without being ostentatious like the Malfoy and Potter mansions. It had many windows and he didn't even want to take a guess at how many rooms it had. He walked through the gates into the courtyard and waved at his grandmother, Audra who was hovering in the entrance. He walked quickly across the courtyard.

"Sev!" His grandmother exclaimed giving him a hug and a kiss.

"Hi Gran," Severus replied returning her hug and kiss. "This is Harry."

"What a little angel!" Audra said taking Harry from Severus and giving him a kiss. "Come along. Let's go inside where it's warm. I have snacks and hot drinks waiting."

There were two more cracks and Tiberius, Eileen and Toby walked through the gates. Tiberius waved his wand and the gates shut and locked securely. Nobody who wasn't of the Prince line would be able to breach them. Audra led them into the living room.

Despite the largeness of the room it was warm. There was an eight-foot high Christmas tree in the living room which underneath sat presents of all shapes and sizes. The large fireplace had a crackling fire and a big wreath hung over it, decorated with pine cones, red bows and lit by fairy lights. The mantle was decorated with pine garland containing pine cones and red bows and lit by fairy lights. Two large gold candle holders sat at either end of the mantle and held long red candles that gave off the scent of cinnamon. The floor to ceiling windows on both sides of the fireplace were magically sealed to keep out the cold and were covered by heavy drapes.

Severus sat down in one of the comfortable armchairs opposite the couch while his parents and his grandmother sat on the couch across from him and Tiberius made himself comfortable in a recliner on the end between the couch and the armchairs. The long coffee table in front of them was filled with small sandwiches, cookies, and biscuit and a big bowl of Audra's hot orange cranberry punch for the adults and mug of hot chocolate for Harry.

After everybody was refreshed and warmed both inside and out, the Christmas gifts were handed out. Severus sat by the Christmas tree and gave the gifts to Harry to deliver to their recipient. "This one is for grandma." Harry toddled over to Eileen and gave her the package and went back to Severus. "This one's for great-grandpa."

Finally all the gifts were handed out. There was a pile beside Severus and a pile in front of him that belonged to Harry.

After all the gifts had been opened, exclamations of pleasure expressed and thanks exchanged, Harry climbed into Severus lap with a yawn. "I think somebody's tired," Severus said. He looked at his grandparents and explained, "He's used to taking a nap. Miss Sherry always has the children lay down for an hour after lunch."

"Do you want to take him upstairs and lay him down?" Audra asked.

"No," Severus got up and called for Tita. She appeared with a pop. "Tita, would you please go upstairs and get Harry's quilt and bear out of my trunk?"

"Tita will be back," She said popping out. She was back in a moment with Harry's quilt and bear.

"Why don't you lay him on the couch? I think there's enough room between your mum and grandmother," Toby said getting up and reseating himself in the armchair next to Severus'.

"Good idea, Dad," Severus replied. He laid Harry down on the couch, covering him with his quilt and tucking his bear in beside him.

"He's small for his age," Audra remarked

"That's because Lily's sister and her husband weren't feeding him and were abusing him," Severus said. "Mum had to prescribe a nutrient potion for him when he first came to live with me which reminds me. Dumbledore is apparently going to try to take custody of Harry away from me. I got a notice from the Bartemius Crouch today that I'm to appear before the Ministry on January 2nd."

"Dumbledore is always looking to get his name in the news. He's worse than that fraudulent idiot Gilderoy Lockhart," Tiberius snapped.

"We took pictures of the way Harry looked when I took him from Petunia and I saved the clothes he was wearing. When I went over to Privet Drive with Reginald to get Petunia and her husband to sign over their guardianship of Harry to me, I took pictures of the cupboard where they were making Harry sleep. Once the Wizarding public sees those things, Dumbledore is going to look nearly as bad as Voldemort."

"He gave Sev some blather about blood wards and that's why Harry needs to go back to the Dursley's," Eileen said.

Tiberius who was a certified Wardsmith shook his head. "These blood wards would have been useless unless Harry thought of their home as his which I'm sure he didn't given their abuse and they welcomed Harry into their home as a member of their family which they obviously didn't."

"Lily and Potter didn't agree on who should be Harry's guardians either. Lily's will named Alice Longbottom and me while Potter's named Sirius Black and Mary MacDonald." Severus sneered at both names. "Maybe he was hoping they'd get married."

"How will they decide who's will to follow?" Audra asked in concern.

"Reginald said that since Lily survived Potter, her will should have been followed and her will specifically stated that she didn't want Harry left with Petunia," Severus explained.

"Dumbledore's sterling reputation is going to suffer a bit of tarnish when that comes out," Tiberius remarked.

"His reputation will be tarnished black when the public finds out that he lied to the Gringotts Goblins about being Harry's guardian and he was taking money from the Potter vault to pay the Dursley's to keep Harry and they weren't using the money for him and abusing him on top of that. They were furious when they found out the truth and they took the money from Dumbledore's vault and put it back into the Potter vaults," Severus added.

"The Goblins are honest, fair, and just. I'm not surprised they were angry at being made a party to Dumbledore's swindling. The good reputation of Gringotts is their greatest concern," Tiberius explained. He'd been dealing with the Gringotts Goblins for many years and respected them for their management of Gringotts in good times and bad.

"I never liked that man," Toby growled. "He refused to do anything to stop those spoiled rich bullies from tormenting Sev. Eileen and I even went and talked to him about it in person and his view was that Sev must be doing something to them first because these were good boys and would never attack anybody unjustly! I taught Sev how to box just so he could defend himself without having to use magic and none of them would expect a punch in the nose or in the gut."

"The Potter's have never been too bright always rushing in without a plan or a backup plan. It's no wonder the family is practically extinct!" Tiberius said.

Harry woke up from his nap a bit later and played with some of his news toys with assistance from Severus, Toby, and Tiberius. The two-day visit went fast and soon it was time to return home. Tiberius and Audra apparated to the Dragon's Tail to see them off.

Severus, Harry, and Tita flooed back to his London home and the next morning started in with their usual routine. Severus went back to work and Harry went back to daycare. He did take Harry to see his mum after work one day so she could check his progress.

She weighed Harry and smiled, "Sev, he's gained three pounds, but I'm going to keep him on the nutrient potion until he reaches the normal weight for his age which is 22 pounds." She handed Harry a chocolate frog. He giggled as he opened the box and the frog tried to escape.

New Years Eve arrived. His parents would be coming over tomorrow for New Year's dinner. Severus put Harry to bed at his normal time and when he was sure he was sleeping soundly he went back downstairs and got out the bottle of champagne he'd bought. When midnight arrived he toasted his new son and made a toast in remembrance of Lily.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 5**

Severus got up early the next morning. Today was the day he and Harry appeared before the Wizengamot. Severus showered and dressed in his tailored black dress robe and cast a shine on his shoes. He and Harry went downstairs and ate breakfast and then he got Harry bathed and dressed in his sapphire blue dress robe. They were meeting Reginald, his parents, and grandparents outside Courtroom 7 at 8:45.

Eileen and Toby, Tiberius and Audra were already waiting when Severus and Harry arrived. He had gotten all the evidence regarding Harry to Reginald the previous day. "Should we go in?" Severus asked.

"Yes," Reginald said pulling open the door to the courtroom.

"Why isn't this being held in Child Services?" Eileen asked. "That's where it would normally be." She knew because she had been summoned for hearings on suspected abused children she'd treated and reported.

"If the child in question were anyone but Harry Potter it would be, but I suspect Albus wants to throw his weight around as a member of the Wizengamot," Reginald answered.

They sat down. Severus at the defendant's table with Reginald and his parents and grandparents in the high backed benches behind him. Harry sat between Eileen and Toby who had brought along a package of typing paper so he could make some origami animals for Harry in case he got bored.

The members of the Wizengamot walked in and seated themselves. They sat in an area that was situated higher above the courtroom and were dressed in plum-colored robes and high triangular shaped caps of the same color. The department heads could be differentiated because they wore black robes and caps with a silver _W_ on their robes. The courtroom had quickly filled up. Severus surmised the hearing was probably the **Prophet's** front page news this morning. He saw Sirius and Remus seated in the audience and to his surprise, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

At exactly nine o'clock, the Head of the department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch called the Wizengamot to order. "Scribe, please read the proceedings."

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot _versus_ Severus Tobias Snape in the custody of Harry James Potter. Albus Dumbledore is representing his own case while Mr. Snape is being represented by Reginald Winchester from the Wizarding firm of Winchester and Associates. Mr. Winchester also practices Muggle law and retains the title of Queen's Council in Muggle law."

"Very well. Scribe, please call the first witness."

"Severus Tobias Snape is called to the stand."

Severus rose, strode to the center of the courtroom and sat down with his hands resting in his lap.

Albus rose majestically. He was dressed in a pale blue inner robe and a bright blue outer robe. "Relate how you kidnapped Harry from Petunia Dursley."

"I didn't kidnap Harry," Severus corrected him calmly. He related how Harry had run into him and Petunia attempting to slap him. "I knew Petunia and Lily because they grew up just four blocks from me. Lily was my best friend. Petunia was always jealous of Lily's being magical. She blamed me because I was the one who told Lily she was a witch. She seemed to think if I hadn't told her, she never would have discovered it. As we grew older Petunia jealously turned to hatred of anything or anybody magical. I stopped Petunia from slapping him. I noticed right away that Harry was ill-dressed for the weather. He was wearing shorts, a T-shirt with holes in it, a light jacket, trainers that were much too big for him and no socks. His hands and legs were bright red from the cold. He was walking while Petunia's son was dressed very warmly and was being pushed in a stroller. She kept referring to Harry as _the freak_."

"You hated Harry's father, James while you were in school," Dumbledore said suddenly switching topics.

"Yes and he hated me too," Severus answered calmly.

"You just want custody of him so you can get your revenge on James," Dumbledore accused him.

"That's ridiculous. I would never hold a child responsible for his father's behavior. He's also Lily's son in case you've forgotten."

"James was a hero and fought against Voldemort."

"Lily was a heroine who also fought Voldemort and sacrificed her life for Harry's."

"And you did nothing except skulk behind the lines while others fought."

"I believe you wouldn't allow any Slytherins to fight with you and there are more ways of fighting Voldemort than just one. We in Potions Research fought him by discovering antidotes for his deadliest potions."

Reginald finally reached the end of his patience and stood up. "Objection! Professor Dumbledore has done nothing but indulge in his dislike of my client. He has not offered one bit of proof that Severus is an unfit guardian for Harry."

"Yes, Dumbledore," Barty Crouch said irritably. "Do get on with it."

"You associated with those who became Death Eaters after graduation during your time at Hogwarts. The ones who believed Muggleborns and Muggles should be eliminated," Dumbledore accused.

"Also Half-Bloods. I didn't associate with them by choice, but since I had to attend classes, eat, and sleep with them some association was unavoidable. I spent the majority of my time in the library."

"You were with them when they attacked Mary MacDonald and were laughing at what Mulciber did to her."

"I was in the library and Madam Pince could have verified that had you thought to ask her."

"You attacked James Potter and Sirius Black numerous times. You were jealous because they were popular and talented and James had Lily Evans."

Severus shook his head and it was almost impossible for him to keep a straight face. "I never attacked them unless they ganged up on me three to one. They were talented in Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I was talented in Potions, Arithmancy, and Defense Against the Dark Arts and they're kind of popularity didn't interest me. I had no problems with Lily dating him. He was the one that had a problem; he was jealous of Lily's and my friendship."

"You knew Harry was protected by the blood wards that were established when the Potters sacrificed themselves for him and yet you deliberately took him from his best chance of being safe." Dumbledore turned to the Wizengamot. "No more questions."

"Mr. Winchester, your witness.

Reginald came over to him. "Would you please state your name and occupation for the record?"

"Severus Tobias Snape, Potion Master. I work in the Potions Research department of St. Mungo's."

You currently hold the title of the youngest Potion Master ever in Wizarding Britain?"

Severus nodded. "I have that honor."

"Severus will you please tell the court how you came to have custody of Harry Potter on December 4, 1981."

Severus repeated what he'd already told Dumbledore.

"If it may please the Wizengamot, I will submit as evidence the clothing Harry was wearing at the time Severus took custody of him." He picked the plastic bag containing the clothing Harry had been wearing up off the table and handed it to Barty Crouch, the head of the department of Magical Law Enforcement. He opened the package, taking out each article of clothing and carefully looking at them. When he got to the trainers Harry had been wearing he leaned over and whispered something to Amelia Bones who shook her head also.

"What happened after you stopped Petunia from striking Harry?"

"I picked him up and wrapped him inside my coat because he was shivering and told Petunia I was taking him off her hands. She said I couldn't because 'the old fool that dumped the brat on their doorstep is paying them a stipend to raise him and they'd lose it if he wasn't living with them. I told her tough luck since she wasn't using it for Harry anyway and then I went into a nearby alley and apparated home. The first thing I did was call my mum to examine him because I thought he was being abused by the Dursley's. She's a Pediatric Healer and a Potion Mistress. She examined Harry and confirmed that he had been abused."

"May it please the Wizengamot I am submitting the physical exam record of Harry Potter done by Healer Eileen Snape on December 4, 1981." As before he handed the roll of parchment to Bartemius Crouch who read it and then passed it on to the other Wizengamot members.

"What happened next?" Reginald asked.

"It appeared that Harry hadn't had a bath in awhile so we decided to give him one, but before we did I took pictures of the way he was dressed and the bruising on his body."

"I submit these pictures taken by Severus right after he bought Harry to his home," Reginald handed them up to Bartemius who looked at them and again passed them on.

"My mum prescribed a nutrient potion for Harry because his weight is supposed to be about thirty ponds. and he only weighed 20 pounds at that time, but he weighs 23 pounds now. He's also below his average height which is 32 inches, but mum figures he'll catch up there as long as he's eating well."

"What occurred next?"

"After we got him bathed and got him into some warm pajamas, I fed him and he seemed to eat pretty well and he slept well. The next morning my parents and I took Harry shopping. My mum and dad actually went out early to buy him some clothes to wear shopping because he had nothing. We bought him clothes and toys. That evening you and I went to the Dursley's home and got them to sign over there guardianship of Harry to me. I took pictures of the cupboard where they had him sleeping."

"I submit the pictures taken of the cupboard under the stairs where the Boy-Who-Lived slept in while in custody of the Dursley's."

Bartemius received them, reviewed them carefully and then again passed them on to the other members to look at.

"What happened the next day?"

"You found the Potter's wills and they had a difference of opinion as to whom Harry's guardians should be. James Potter chose Sirius Black and Mary MacDonald and Lily chose Alice Longbottom and me and her will also specifically stated that Harry was not to be given to her sister, Petunia Dursley."

"I submit a copy of the last will and testament of Lily Elizabeth Evans Potter for the Wizengamot's review." Reginald said. He turned back to Severus. "How do you manage work now that you have Harry, Severus?"

"He stays in a safe, heavily warded place during the day where he's well looked after, but I don't want to reveal where it is as I know there are still Death Eaters looking for Harry."

"That's understandable, Severus." Reginald turned to the

"Do you any further questions for the witness, Mr. Winchester or Albus?" Bartemius asked.

"None at this time," Albus replied.

Severus and Reginald both sat down. Severus reached back and patted Harry's messy hair and smiled at him.

"Scribe, please call the next witness," Bartemius ordered

"Petunia Evans Dursley is called to the stand."

"Dumbledore must really be intent on committing legal suicide," Severus said.

Petunia walked into the courtroom with Vernon following her. Severus She sat down in the center chair with a sniff and complained to Dumbledore as he came over. "I hope you're not going to keep us long. We left Dudders at home with Vernon's sister and while she knows a lot about dogs, she doesn't know much about toddlers."

"No, of course not Petunia," Dumbledore replied. "Will you tell us about the events of the night Severus Snape kidnapped Harry Potter."

I was shopping in King's Road. I had Dudders in the stroller, but the frea …Harry was walking because he kept trying to get out of the stroller so I let him walk for awhile and of course I kept a close eye on him to make sure he didn't get lost. I was going to put him back into the stroller when the frea…Harry ran into Snape."

"What happened next, Petunia?"

"Well, I was going to grab the frea…Harry, put him in the stroller, and get out of there, but Snape grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go and then he grabbed the boy and did that thing you wizards do and was gone."

"And how was Harry dressed, Petunia?"

"The same as Dudders. He had on a snowsuit, boots, scarf, and mittens. I always bought Dudders and the boy the same kind of clothes. I'm sure Snape changed his clothes after he took him to wherever it was just to make me look like an unfit guardian."

Thank you, Petunia," Dumbledore said.

Reginald got up. "Mrs. Dursley, how do you normally address Harry?"

"By his name of course!" Petunia snorted.

"That's strange because Severus heard you refer to Harry as 'the freak' at least three times and I noticed you had to stop yourself at least three times when you were testifying just now from referring him as the freak."

"I never …" Petunia began.

"When Severus and I came over to your house we never found any clothes for Harry or toys. All we found in that cupboard where you were keeping him was a cot mattress and the quilt I'm assuming he was wrapped in when Albus left him on your doorstep."

"I …I was washing his clothes. He's a very dirty child and while Lily may have allowed that, I don't."

"Is that why you hit him because he got dirty as most children his age do as I'm sure your son does."

Vernon and I don't see anything wrong with slapping him when he does something wrong. We don't believe in mollycoddling him with these silly timeouts. That won't teach him anything!"

"So you punish your son in the same manner?"

"Of course not! We never have to discipline Dudders because he never acts up like that one does," Petunia snapped nodding her head in Harry's direction."

Reginald could hear the witches and wizards witnessing the hearing stirring uneasily and whispering to each other which was the reaction he was hoping for. "Mrs. Dursley, is there a reason you kept Harry in this dirty, dusty, spider-infested cupboard? After all I personally observed there were three bedrooms upstairs plus your son's nursery which was certainly large enough to easily fit another cot."

"We weren't expecting him to be dump …err … left with us …we weren't prepared."

"So he was in that dirty cupboard a month later because you what? You didn't have the time to go shopping and buy him a cot? You got 100 Galleons from Albus which in your money comes out to £500 and yet you didn't find the time to buy Harry any clothes, toys, a decent bed or anything else a child Harry's age needs. What exactly did you do with this money, Mrs. Dursley as it doesn't appear you were using it for Harry?"

Suddenly Petunia erupted and started shrieking, "That's none of your business. We never wanted to have that brat dumped on us. Lily even told me she never wanted the little freak left with us; that she was going to put it in her will and then when my perfect sister got herself blown up, we get stuck with him!"

Reginald smiled. "No more questions."

"Albus, do you have any more questions?" Bartemius asked stiffly. He was shocked that Dumbledore would leave this very important child with a couple who obviously hated him and hated anything magic.

Dumbledore shook his head.

"Scribe, please call the next witness."

"Sirius Black is called to the stand."

Sirius got up from where he was seated and strutted to the center chair. Albus strolled over to him and asked, "Sirius, you and James Potter were friends for a long time, were you not?"

"Since we were eleven," Sirius answered.

"As Aurors he was your partner and you trusted him with your life."

"There was nobody braver and more loyal than James

Severus kept his face blank and his mind occluded, but inside he was furious having to listen to a bunch of crap about how brave and noble Potter was when in truth he was an arrogant bully and a crappy husband to Lily.

"Sirius, why do you think you'd make a good guardian for Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Because I've been around him since he was born and he knows me. He'd grow up to be an honorable and brave man like his father, be sorted into Gryffindor when he goes to Hogwarts, be an excellent Quidditch player, and most likely want to follow in James' footsteps and be an Auror. If you give Snivellus custody, he'll be sorted into the Snake house and end up the next You-Know-Who."

Reginald glanced over at Crouch, a former Slytherin, and saw the anger on his face at Sirius' prejudicial remarks.

"Thank you Sirius," Dumbledore said.

Reginald rose. "Mr. Black, if you were to get custody of Harry; who would watch him while you spend your free time hunting Peter Pettigrew?"

Sirius sputtered unable to answer the question.

"I'm sure your roommate, Mr. Lupin wouldn't mind watching Harry occasionally, but certainly not every night and every weekend." Reginald said "He'd also need somebody to look after him during the day while you're at work and I doubt the elderly house elf you have could keep up with an active 17-month old beside the fact that your elf does not like non-Purebloods."

"My elf does what I tell him to do so if I want him to watch Harry, he'll watch Harry!" Sirius snapped.

"No more questions," Reginald said, sitting down again.

"You may step down, Mr. Black," Barty said coolly. "Do you have any more witnesses you'd like to call, Dumbledore?"

"No, Bartemius. I do not have any more witnesses."

"Scribe, please call Mr. Winchester's first witness."

Mr. Tiberius Maximilian Prince is called to the stand."

Tiberius rose, walked over to the middle chair and sat down."

"Mr. Prince you are a certified Wardsmith?"

"Yes, I've been an active Wardsmith for 45 years and I've kept up on all the latest warding methods."

Will you explain these blood wards that have been bandied about as being the ultimate protection for Harry?"

"Blood wards can be established by a person willingly giving up their life to protect another's life, but the sacrifice has to be willing and as I knew Mrs. Potter, I'm sure it was. The next component in the blood wards, and the most important part of it, is that the family where the blood wards are to be established must consider the person being protected by these wards a member of their family and the person must consider that home to be theirs. The wards needed to be checked the next morning to make sure they had taken and were secure. Regarding Mrs. Dursley's testimony I'm sure the wards never even took and I'm sure Dumbledore did not go back and recheck them."

"So Harry was without any protection for the time he lived with the Dursley's?"

"In my expertise, yes." There was a loud gasp from the people in the courtroom.

"Thank you, Mr. Prince."

As Tiberius was seated the Scribe said, "Alice Longbottom is called to the stand."

Alice was petite with a round face, short curly brown hair and blue eyes.  
She made her way to the stand and sat down.

"Mrs. Longbottom, you and Mrs. Potter were good friends?" Reginald asked.

"Yes. We shared the same dorm for six years until Lily became Head Girl seventh year. She was my confidant and I was hers."

"What is your opinion of Severus Snape?"

"He's a good guy. He and Lily were friends all through Hogwarts despite the fact that Potter, Black and Pettigrew treated him like crap. Potter was a jealous imbecile and didn't want Lily to have anything more to do with Severus once he started dating her. It really fried his bum when Lily became Head Girl and he wasn't chosen Head Boy, but Severus was.

"You don't have any objection to Severus being Harry's guardian then?"

"No, not at all. I know Lily would approve because she never wanted Black as Harry's guardian because she knew he'd raise Harry with all of Potter's and his worst qualities."

"Which were?"

"Spoiled, arrogant berks who thought rules were made for everybody but them. Bullies who thought they could hex or curse anybody they wanted to simply because they 'existed.' Quidditch fanatics who thought Quidditch came first and grades came second if at all," Alice said contemptuously. "Harry plays with my son, Neville. He was born the day before Harry. They both stay in the same place during the work week. From what I've observed, Harry is a lot more like Lily than Potter."

"What do you know of Petunia Dursley?"

"Lily confided to me that Petunia always called her a freak and told her she was possessed by the devil and she got even worse after she started dating that Dursley character. I know she would never want Petunia to get custody of Harry."

"What about these blood wards Dumbledore is always talking about, Mrs. Longbottom? I know you and your husband are both Aurors and you probably know something about them."

"I know a little about blood wards, but I think these particular blood wards exist only in Albus' imagination. Nobody knows what Lily did to protect Harry before she died. She was extremely talented at Charms and she could have easily invented a charm to protect Harry. She didn't need to rely on old magic," Alice snorted contemptuously.

"Thank you, Mrs. Longbottom."

"Albus, do you have any questions for Mrs. Longbottom?" Bartemius asked.

Albus shook his head.

"Please call the next witness, Scribe," Bartemius said.

"This will be my final witness, Bartemius," Reginald advised.

"Ragzot, Head of the Inheritance Trust, Gringotts Bank, is called to the stand."

A very short Goblin walked into the courtroom. He looked very old, was wrinkled with a long pointed nose and had large crumpled looking ears that stuck out from his head. He had grey hair that he wore brushed back and wore rimless glasses that sat notched on the edge of his nose. He was dressed in a pin-striped suit.

Reginald aimed his wand at the chair which shrank small enough for Ragzot to sit down with his dignity intact.

"Ragzot, will you please tell the court what happened in the early morning of November 1st, 1981?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore came into the bank and asked to see me. Since Gringotts handles both the personal accounts of both the headmaster and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry I was not surprised to see him. He told me that that Mr. and Mrs. Potter's home had been attacked by the wizard known as Voldemort and both of them had been killed, but their son was alive. He presented me with a will that was signed by Mr. and Mrs. Potter and it appointed him as their son's guardian until he reached his majority and gave him access to their vaults. I didn't check the will he presented us against the Potter's wills we have on file at the bank because we had never had a reason to doubt the headmaster's truthfulness."

"What did Dumbledore tell you about Harry Potter?"

"He said he had taken Mr. Potter Junior to live with his mother's Muggles sister and I was to take one hundred Galleons out of the Potter vault each month, exchange it for Muggle money and send a cheque to Mr. and Mrs. Vern Dursley to be used for Harry Potter's upkeep."

"What did you find out later about the Potter's wills?"

"That neither of the Potter's had appointed Professor Dumbledore as Mr. Potter Junior's guardian. It was bought to our attention when you bought a copy of Mr. and Mrs. Potter's wills that had been filed at the Ministry. When I checked out copies I found they matched."

"What did you do then?"

"We took the money we paid the Muggles out of Headmaster Dumbledore's personal account and put it back in the Potter vault. We were very angry at being made a party to fraud by Headmaster Dumbledore."

"No more questions," Reginald said. "Thank you for coming in, Ragzot. Your cooperation is much appreciated."

Ragzot nodded and waited.

"Do you have any questions for the witness, Albus?" Bartemius asked.

Albus shook his head. He looked extremely angry at having been sideswiped by Reginald.

"The witness may step down and is dismissed."

"We will dismiss the court and render our decision tomorrow morning at nine o'clock." Bartemius announced.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Severus was certain he would gain custody of Harry, but being Slytherin he had a backup plan in case the unthinkable happened. He would take Harry to Armorel. It was unplottable and under many different wards and charms including the _Fidelius Charm_. They would never be able to find Harry. He'd rather live in exile than see Harry go to Petunia or Sirius.

The next morning at nine o'clock, everybody was back in Courtroom 7. It was even more crowded than the previous day and there was standing room only. The trial had been on the front page of the evening **Prophet **last night thanks to Rita Skeeter.

Severus kept alert and his wand at ready in case there were any Death Eaters in the courtroom other than the Malfoy's.

The Wizengamot members filed in and sat down in their assigned seats. Bartemius Crouch stood and said, "We the Wizengamot speak in one voice and our decision is final. In the matter of custody of Harry James Potter, we award custody of Harry James Potter to Severus Snape."

"What the fuck!" Sirius yelled jumping to his feet. "You can't leave Harry with that dirty, slimy snake!"

"Sit down, Mr. Black and be quiet or I'll have your fellow Aurors escort you from the courtroom." Bartemius snapped. He turned to Albus who looked as completely shocked as Sirius did. "Albus, this case should have never been brought before the Wizengamot. The custody decision should have been decided by Wizarding Child Services. You've abused your power as a member of the Wizengamot trying to force this child back to what is clearly an abusive home and defrauding Gringotts. And you've wasted our time and the Wizarding public's Galleons with this ridiculous hearing," Crouch said continuing to scold Albus. "Minister Bagnold has given me permission to suspend you from the Wizengamot for one year."

Outside the courtroom, Severus swung Harry up high. "We won and you never have to worry about going back to your aunt and uncle." Harry giggled and gave Severus a hug.

"I say this calls for a celebration," Eileen said.

"Why don't you all come over to my house?" Severus suggested.

"Splendid idea, Sev," Toby said.

"Good! I'll just send my Patronus ahead so Tita know we won and we're going to be celebrating." Severus Patronus which formerly had been a black panther had unexpectedly changed to a doe after Lily's death. His Patronus was now what Lily's had been. "_Expecto Patronum_!" When the silvery doe jumped out of the end of his wand, Severus gave it the message to take to Tita and it bounded off through the floo.

Frank and Alice came out of the courtroom, having had to wait for it to empty a bit so they could move from their seats. They came over to where Severus, Harry, and his family were standing with Reginald.

"Thanks, Alice for testifying on my behalf."

"No problem, Severus. I know Lily would have wanted you to raise Harry instead of that moron Black or her nasty sister."

Harry, this is Neville's mum and dad. Alice was your mum other best friend all through Hogwarts."

Harry smiled at her and then yawned and buried his face in Severus' shoulder. "He's probably ready for a nap. I think he was scared because he could sense all the tension the last two days and hasn't been sleeping well and for that alone I ought to kick Dumbledore's boney arse."

"I know and I agree. Neville's been asking about him for the last two days because he hasn't been at Miss Sherry's and he and Teddy really miss Harry."

"You can assure Neville that Harry will be back tomorrow at the regular time."

When they flooed back to Severus' house Tita had everything ready. She had pots of hot tea, sandwiches, and milk for Harry. There was also a rich chocolate cake that had 'Welcome Home, Harry' written on it."

"I is glad Master Harry is going to be living with us all the time, Master Severus," Tita said.

"Me too, Tita, me too," Severus replied.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **All previous disclaimers apply.

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed, put my story on story alert, favorite story, favorite author or author alert. I really appreciate it!

**Chapter 6**

The next morning's **Prophet **had the outcome of the Wizengamot hearing all over the front page. Severus sighed as he saw it. Harry's cover was most definitely blown. When he took Harry to the daycare Neville and Teddy were thrilled to see him. "Give me a hug," Severus requested. Harry gave him a big hug and then allowed Neville and Teddy to take him over to the scale model of Hogwarts they'd all been working on.

"I apologize for not letting you know Harry was the Harry Potter," Severus said to Miss Sherry. "But I am trying to give him a normal childhood for as long as possible. I also know there are Death Eaters still looking for him."

"Understandable," Miss Sherry replied. "I can assure you we have the highest security here."

"Besides Death Eaters, there are two other people who might try to take Harry. One is Albus Dumbledore and the other is Sirius Black. He's an Auror and was Harry's father's best friend since the age of eleven. They were contemporaries of mine at Hogwarts. He never paid attention to any rules while at Hogwarts so I don't really expect him to pay attention to any ruling by the Wizengamot."

Miss Sherry frowned. "Of course I remember Headmaster Dumbledore from when I was at Hogwarts. He always favored his own house over the other houses. I was a Ravenclaw."

"I was a Slytherin and he hated us."

"If either of them does come here to try and get Harry I'll summon Security and have them escorted out and told not to return."

"Thank you for helping keep Harry safe," Severus said. He went to his brewing station secure in the knowledge that neither Dumbledore nor Black could have any contact with Harry.

Winter faded into spring and Harry was growing into a typical almost two year-old. He chattered a lot about what he, Neville and Teddy were doing at Miss Sherry's and whenever his Da was 'bewing' Harry wanted to help him. Severus would allow him to 'help' as long as he was brewing standard medical potions and there were no poisonous ingredients. He let Harry drop the chopped ingredients into the cauldron and give the potion an occasional stir at the stirring stage. Though his lab was well ventilated, he didn't allow him inside if he was brewing something that could be dangerous or had harmful fumes.

Once it became warmer again Severus bundled up Harry, put him in his stroller and wheeled him across the street to visit the Chelsea Psychic Gardens. There were all kinds of plants, some magical and some not, and herbs just starting to come up. Severus knew a lot about Herbology and planned to eventually study to be a Master Herbologist in addition to his Potion's Mastery, would point out the plants to Harry and explain in what potions they could be used. He had many different plants growing in his conservatory, but there were some varieties here he'd only read about.

As the weather grew nicer they usually visited about once a week. Severus knelt beside Harry's stroller and explained, "The current Gardener is a descendent of the first Gardener John Watts who like the members of the Society of Apothecaries was a wizard and a Potion Master. He isn't seen much, but they say he's older than Dumbledore."

"That a rather insulting rumor, young man as I'm nowhere near as old as Albus Dumbledore!" A voice behind Severus said.

Severus jumped to his feet and whirled around with his wand at ready. He saw an older man, probably in his early to mid-seventies. Although he had grey hair and a short grey beard, he did not appear elderly, but rather seemed to have a vigorous air about him.

"Stay you wand, young man. I am Cornelius Watts, Gardener and as you mentioned descendant of the first Gardener John Watts.

Severus' wand disappeared back up his sleeve. "I do apologize, but you startled me," he said with a nod.

"I apologize for startling you as you were protecting, Mr. Potter. I am addressing Severus Snape, the youngest Potion Master in Great Britain?"

"I have that honor," Severus replied with a dip of his head.

"I've seen you a lot lately," Cornelius mentioned.

"I promised to take Harry to see Psychic Gardens last winter. This is my first chance to really see what's growing here since I just moved to this area last fall."

"Well, there are many different kinds of magical and non-magical plants. Enjoy your tour."

"Thank you," Severus replied. He pushed Harry around the Gardens pointing out various plants and occasionally stopping to take a closer look at one of the plants he wasn't familiar with.

Spring melted into summer and Severus was starting to think about what to do for Harry's second birthday. He would have a party for him and invite his best friends Neville and Teddy. Whenever Harry stayed overnight at his parents' home, Severus took the opportunity to shop for birthday presents for him. He thought about buying him a tricycle, but thought his legs were too short to reach the pedals yet, but he found something called a Big Wheels® in a Muggle toy store and thought that would be perfect for him. Neville's birthday was the day before Harry's and he had been invited to Neville's birthday party so Severus needed to find Harry a gift for Neville. He suspected Neville had inherited Alice's talent for Herbology because Harry had told him Miss Sherry had chosen Neville to water her plants which Harry said he did very carefully. Severus recalled seeing a child's first herb kit at Slug & Jiggers and thought he might buy that for Harry to give to Neville.

Harry came home from Neville's party chattering about the cake Neville had and how much Neville liked his gift and Neville's mum thought it was 'billiant.' Severus smiled. Harry was still having trouble with his 'R' sound and he had asked Miss Sherry if she could work with him on it.

Neville and Teddy had a good time at Harry's birthday party and Harry allowed them both to try out his Big Wheels®. His grandmother had given him new clothes as he was starting to grow and his grandfather had made him a special bookcase to keep all his books in. His great-grandparents gave him a water color set complete with a pad and easel. Severus had also given him more ingredients for the potion kit he'd given Harry for Christmas.

Harry loved pedaling his Big Wheels® around the rooftop garden while Severus read. He had put a magical barrier all around the railing so there was no chance whatsoever that Harry could fall. Sometime he and Harry stood and watched the boats sailing on the River Thames.

Fall came and it started getting colder again, but the leaves in the trees at the Psychic Garden were a brilliant red and yellow. Severus stopped into his mum's office one day towards the end of September with a question. "Mum, Harry wants to be a Hippogriff for Halloween and I have no idea how to make it happen!" Severus groaned. "I tried to talk him into being something easier, but he wasn't having it."

"I'll take his measurements and make the costume for you," Eileen laughed. "After all, we don't want to disappoint him."

Severus had thought long and hard about Halloween. Even though it was the first anniversary of Lily's and Potter's deaths, Harry was just a little boy and should be able to have fun on that night without the burden of their deaths weighing him down. When he was older, Severus would tell him and he could make his own decision about it. Anyway, he was sure Lily would not want Harry ever to spend the evening mourning her death.

Eileen took his measurements and the night before Halloween she and Toby came over with the costume so Harry could try on and she could make any adjustments, but as it turned out she didn't need to.

"Harry giggled and flapped his wings which fit over his arms. He could see where he was going by looking out his beak. His head and his chest were covered in feathers. Over his shoes were large eagle claws and he had a horses' tail in the back

"You look really scary, Harry. I'm sure we won't have to worry about any ghosts following us home," Severus teased.

"Harry giggled again "I protect you, Da."

"You sure could, Sport," Toby said. "I would want to run into you in a dark alley!"

Severus took Harry out just as it was getting dark. They went around the neighborhood for an hour. There were many children of all ages out and their parents so Harry blended in well. There was a lot of curiosity about Harry's costume when he went to the doors, but Severus just explained his costume was based on a mythological creature. They came back home and flooed over to his parents' house where Toby was going to take Harry around the neighborhood. After they had left, Severus said to Eileen, "I'm going out for awhile, but I'll be back before Harry and dad come back."

"All right, Sev, but just don't stay there too long," Eileen advised. She knew he was going to the cemetery at Godric's Hollow. "There might be Death Eaters hanging about."

"I won't, Mum," Severus promised. He went outside and apparated to Godric's Hollow outside the cemetery gates. He went inside and quickly found Lily's grave. He knelt in front of it and started talking to her softly. "You should see Harry now, Lily. He's living with me; Dumbledore gave him to Petunia and her walrus husband after you died, but I took him away because they were abusing him. He's turned into a right little imp and a chatterbox. He's so much like you, interested in everything around him. He and my dad have bonded. He sits on my dad's lap and watches the football games with him on the telly. He's a Manchester United fan just like my dad. I hope he won't be too disappointed to find out we don't have football in our world when he goes to Hogwarts. He seems to have an interest in potions. He always wants to help me brew so I let him throw the ingredients into the cauldron and give it one or two stirs. I won't know if he's inherited your talent in Charms until he gets his wand." Severus got up again. "I still miss you and wish I'd insisted that you and Harry stay with me because Voldemort would have never found you at my house." He placed a vase of lilacs he conjured on her grave and left. "Rest in peace, Lily and know your son will grow up happy and secure." Severus apparated back to him mum's house and Harry and Toby came in the door a few minutes later.

"Harry made a right good haul," Toby announced as they came through the door. "Lots of homemade treats."

"We'd better be getting back home, Harry. You've got school tomorrow and I've got to go to work as do Grandpa and Grandmum." He picked Harry up, shrank his bag of treats and put it in his pocket. "We'll see you next week for the football game."

"Bye, Gandpa and Gandmum," Harry said.

"Goodbye, sweetie," Eileen said.

"Goodbye, Sport," Tobias called. "We'll watch Manchester kick the lily-livered arses of those Liverpool sissies on Saturday!"

"Toby!" Eileen remonstrated. "Language!"

Severus stepped out of the fireplace into his living room. He put Harry down, took the bag out of his pocket and resized it and helped him off with his costume. Harry looked up at him with pleading eyes – Lily's eyes and Severus sighed. "Okay one treat even though I suspect your Grandpa let you have a few treats on the way home." He led Harry out into the kitchen and they sat down at the kitchen table.

Harry reached into his bag and chose a cupcake with orange frosting and sprinkles on it while Severus poured him a glass of milk to go with it. Harry finished off his cupcake and milk in a trice. Severus carried Harry and his bag of treats upstairs. He got him undressed and into bed, read him a story, but Harry was sound asleep before he had read two pages. He cast the barrier so Harry couldn't accidently roll off the bed, took off his shoes and lay down on the bed. He grabbed his copy of _Potions Monthly_ and started to read, but ended up falling asleep with the magazine spread out across his chest. He jolted awake suddenly when Harry woke him up screaming, crying and thrashing about. He noticed it was a few minutes before midnight. Severus shook Harry gently. "Harry, Harry, wake up, little guy."

Harry woke up with one final cry of terror and started to sob. Severus got up, scooped Harry up into his arms and walked around the bedroom, rubbing his back in soothing circles. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Da …bad man …scary eyes …hurt mummy with green light," Harry said tearfully. "He try to hurt me with that bad green light too."

"I know, but that bad man is gone and he won't ever be able to hurt you again and definitely not as long as I'm your Da," Severus replied fiercely. "I promise."

"Kay, Da," Harry replied sniffling.

Suddenly there was a loud crack from downstairs and a brilliant flash of light. "What the hell?" Severus muttered. Had Death Eaters somehow managed to breach the wards? He looked over at the rock sitting on his bedside table that he'd keyed to the outside wards, but it was not flashing to indicate that the wards had been breached. He grabbed his wand from the bedside table where he always placed it at night. He hurried down the staircase without stopping to put on his shoes again, still holding Harry tightly against his chest, his wand at ready.

"Mr. Severus," Tita called anxiously from the living room.

Severus raised his wand and peered around the doorway, hoping he wasn't going to see a roomful of Death Eaters holding his house elf hostage. What he saw shocked him even more. Lying in the middle of the floor in a crumpled heap lay a woman with auburn red hair. He set Harry down next to Tita, knelt down beside the woman and felt for a pulse. He found a faint one and saw the slight rise and fall of her chest. He quickly tossed the afghan on the back of the couch into the armchair, transfigured the couch into a bed and carefully levitated her into it. He did a quick check on her condition by running his wand over her and when the parchment appeared, he grabbed it and scanned it.

Harry broke away from Tita and ran over the couch. "Mummy!" He turned around and tugged on Severus' hand. "Mummy!"

Suddenly Morgana flew into the room, landed by Lily's head and began grooming her hair. For Severus that was the final confirmation that the woman was really Lily Evans Potter. Her familiar would have never come near if she was someone pretending to be Lily or using Polyjuice.

"I know Harry," Severus answered. "I need to call mum." He went over to the fireplace, threw some floo powder down, stuck his head in and said, "Snape house, Manchester." He knew his mum had an alarm of some kind on her fireplace to alert her if any of her patients were calling.

Eileen appeared and knelt down in front of the fireplace, His dad was behind her, yawning and rumpling his hair. "Is Harry sick, Sev?"

"No, Mum, but something else has happened. Can you and dad come through?"

"Just as soon as we're dressed," Eileen answered.

**Page Break ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

James woke up from where he was laying in front of the open front door of the foyer of his house in Godric's Hollow, his glasses resting crookedly across his face. He groaned and tried to sit up, but fell back down again. It was still dark outside and cold. Merlin! He and Padfoot must have really tied one on earlier, but he couldn't really recall. Lily was going to be furious and would kick him out of their bedroom for at least a week. He tried to get to his feet, but was unable to so he ended up crawling over to the fireplace. The metal snitch they kept the floo powder in and that usually sat on top of the mantle was lying on the floor overturned. James pushed it aside, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and tossed it into the fireplace yelling, "Grimmauld Place, London!" He stuck his head into the flames.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Eileen and Toby stepped out of the fireplace and into Severus' living room. Eileen stopped short as she saw the woman lying in the bed. Morgana chirped happily as she continued to groom Lily's hair. "Sev, is that …Lily?"

"Morgana thinks she is, Mum and so does Harry and I'd trust their judgment over anybody else's."

Eileen came over and Severus gave her the parchment from his basic scan. She read it quickly. "I see she doesn't have any broken bones or internal injuries so that's good. I'm going to do another more in-depth scan though." Eileen ran her wand over Lily's while chanting. This spell was meant to scan deeper and check the condition of the magical core. When the parchment appeared, Eileen took and read it. "Just as I suspected. Her magical core is very low. Sev, do you have any _Elixir of Power_?"

"I think I may have three vials in my lab. I'll go and get them," Severus replied. The _Elixir of Power_ was a potion used to replenish the magical core and he was thankful he always kept some on hand.

"I'll need a few vials of _Strengthening Solution_ also, Sev," Eileen called.

He returned with the requested potions and gave them to his mum and then watched as his mum first spelled the _Elixir of Power_ into Lily and then the _Strengthening Solution_. He knew you always had to give them together.

The floo sounded. Severus turned and caught sight of Remus' head sitting in the green flames. Severus went over to the fireplace and knelt down.

"Sev, I can only talk for a minute. I don't know how, but James is back. He called Sirius from the house in Godric's Hollow and he went through to bring James back here."

"Lily's back too, but she's unconscious so I don't know anything," he explained. "When Black gets back with Potter; tell him he needs to take him straight to St. Mungo's and they'll need to give him at least three rounds each of the _Elixir of Power_ and _Strengthening Solution_ once he gets there."

"Okay, I'll let him know. I'll pop in later if I may?"

"Yeah …I'm not going to work today and Harry won't be going to school either so that's fine, Remus." Severus ended the call and pulled his head out of the fireplace. "It seems Potter is back too." He said to his parents. He slumped down into the recliner. "I don't understand anything. How is it Lily was able to come back and why?"

"I imagine she came back for Harry," Toby said patting Severus on his back. "Sev, there's just some things that we were never meant to understand and I think this is one of them."

"I suppose," Severus answered and yawned. "I'd better owl my boss and Miss Sherry and let them know that neither Harry nor I will be in today."

"I won't be going to the office today either because I'll need to check on the progress of Lily's magical core," Eileen said. "I need to owl my assistant to cancel my appointments today.

"Well, I guess then I'll stay home too and help keep an eye on Harry," Toby decided.

Harry was still standing by the bed, watching Lily. Severus lifted him up and tucked him in beside her. "_Accio_ _Harry's quilt and bear_," Severus said and the two items flew down the stairs and into Severus' hands. He covered Harry with his quilt and tucked his bear in next to him."

Harry smiled, patted Lily's cheek and whispered, "Mummy." He played with her hair for a moment and then curled up next to her and fell to sleep.

"Why don't you sleep for awhile, Sev and I'll keep an eye on Lily."

"Okay, Mum," Severus said sitting down in the recliner and putting it into the reclining position and pulled the afghan over him. Toby took the other recliner and gratefully accepted the blanket Tita offered him.

Eileen pointed her wand at the fireplace and said, "_Incendio_." The fire that was dying down now sprang to life crackling merrily.

Severus slept until morning. He woke up suddenly and pushed his hair out of his face. He looked over at the bed to see his mum standing by Lily's bed. He sat up. "How's she doing, Mum?" He cast a _Tempus_ and saw it was 6:30.

"Her magical core is almost completely renewed, but I'm going to spell the third vial of _Elixir _and _Strengthening Solution_ into her as an added precaution. I can't imagine coming back from the dead is easy."

"Probably not," Severus agreed. "I'm going to go owl my boss and Miss Sherry." He got up, stretched and went upstairs. He wrote a short note to each of them and gave them to Aesculapius to take to St. Mungo's. He came back downstairs. His father was still asleep, snoring loudly.

"Do you want some breakfast, Mum?" Severus asked. "I'll ask Tita to make us some."

"You'd better tell Tita to make it for three. Toby will be waking up soon. I swear that man can smell bacon frying even sound asleep," Eileen joked.

"Okay, I'll let her know." Severus replied and went into the kitchen.

Tita carried a pot of tea in and set in on the dining room table. "Tita will have breakfast in a few moments, Mr. Severus."

"That's fine, Tita." Severus poured his mum and himself a cup of tea.

Toby came into the dining room yawning and rumpling his hair which by now was standing straight up. "Umm …thought I smelled bacon frying."

Eileen and Severus grinned at each other. "You did, dear. Have a seat. Tita will be bringing in breakfast any minute."

Toby pulled out the chair next to Eileen and sat down. She poured him a cup of tea.

Tita came in, plates of scrambled eggs, bacon and bangers, fried potatoes and a stack of toast floating in front of her. She levitated them down on the table. "I is in the kitchen if you needs anything else," Tita said.

"I think this will do us just fine, Tita," Toby said.

They filled their plates and began eating. "Do you think we should wake up Harry? He must be pretty hungry because he's used to eating early, isn't he?" Toby asked.

"I'm going to let him sleep, Dad. He had a bad nightmare last night and woke up screaming. Scared the crap out of me!"

"What did he dream about, Sev," Eileen asked.

"From what he told me it was about Voldemort killing Lily. He said there was a bad man with scary eyes that hurt his mummy with a green light."

"That would be horrible to dream about," Toby said shaking his head in sympathy. "Poor kid must have had the pants scared off of him!"

"Just about," Severus replied.

"You might want to take Harry to see a pediatric mind healer, Sev," Eileen suggested.

"Well, it's not going to be my decision to make anymore, Mum." Severus pointed out. "With Lily and Potter back the decision will fall to them."

"Do you think Lily will go back and live with that shithead Potter?" Tobias asked. He saw Eileen frown at his use of the word 'shithead.'

"I don't know, Dad. From what Remus told me it sounds as if their marriage had some problems mainly that Potter didn't want to grow up and be a responsible adult."

"No surprise there," Toby muttered.

"Da …Da," Harry called from the living room.

Severus got up and went into the living room. Harry was sitting up, his hair messy and sticking up at all angles. "Da …I need the loo," he whispered.

"Okay, Harry," Severus replied trying to lift him without jostling Lily too much, but suddenly Lily's hand grabbed hold Harry's foot. "Leave …my baby …alone."

"Lily," Severus said gently. "It's me, Severus. Harry's safe and you're safe. Nobody's going to hurt either of you again. I'll see to it."

Lily opened her eyes and once again Severus saw the beautiful green eyes he'd thought he'd never see again. She sat up suddenly gave a scream of terror looking around frantically. "Where am I? You-Know-Who found us! He's going to kill Harry, but …" Lily looked confused. "I …I think he killed me."

Eileen and Toby rushed into the room at the sound of Lily's scream, but Severus shook his head at them and continued speaking to Lily in a low, calming voice. "We'll talk about that when you're stronger, but for now you're in my home in London and it's the safest place you and Harry can be," he assured her. "But Harry does need to use the loo and you may get peed on if you don't let go of him."

Despite her fright and confusion she smiled slightly. "It wouldn't be the first time. He peed on me the very first time I changed his nappie."

"Sev, why don't you take Harry upstairs and get him bathed and changed while I check Lily?" Eileen suggested.

"I'll give you a hand, Sev," Toby offered.

"Thanks, Dad."

Eileen ran her wand over Lily and studied the parchment when it appeared. "Hmm … you're doing very well, but I don't want you out of bed just yet as you're still weak. We do need to get some food into you. I think I'll start you off with some broth and maybe a piece of toast."

Lily looked at Eileen. "Eileen, can you please tell me what happened to me? I know something has because Harry is older now than he was the last time I saw him."

Eileen sat down in the recliner, absently folding the afghan Severus had left lying in the chair when he got up. "You said you remember You-Know-Who coming to your house in Godric's Hollow to kill Harry?"

Lily nodded and whispered, "Yes …he killed me, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did. Last night was the first anniversary of your death."

"I remember You-Know-Who speaking the killing curse, seeing that horrible green light speeding towards me and knowing I wouldn't get to see Harry grow up, see him off to Hogwarts, or see him get married," Lily whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "But I don't understand this."

"I don't think anybody can explain how or why you came back, Lily," Eileen explained gently. "Perhaps you weren't meant to die that young or perhaps somebody knew you wanted to see your son grow up."

"Well, I've been given a second chance and I'm never going to know why, but I'm going to make the most of it," Lily promised.

"That's the spirit," Eileen encouraged. She called for Tita and she popped into the room. "Tita, will you please bring Lily a bowl of chicken broth and one slice of toast."

"Tita will be right back, Miss Eileen."

"So this is Sev's home?"

"Yes. His grandparents bought it for him when he obtained his Potion's Mastery. Toby and I still live in the same house in Manchester."

Tita popped back with a bowl of hot chicken broth and a slice of toast. "I has just made the broth fresh so Miss Lily can get stronger."

"Thank you, Tita," Eileen replied taking the tray from her and setting it down in front of Lily. "Try and eat as much as you can." She added.

Severus, carrying Harry and Toby following him came back into the room. Harry was dressed in black corduroy pants with a bright red jumper that had a golden snitch zooming across the front of the jumper and black trainers on his feet. He set Harry back down next to Lily, but Harry tugged on the sleeve of Severus jumper. "Da … I hungry."

He shrugged in apology to Lily. "He's called me that every since he's been living with me."

"It's okay, Sev. James was only his biological father anyway."

Tita had set a warming spell over the food in the dining room so Severus went in and filled a plate for Harry. He went into the kitchen to grab Harry's Sippy cup when he saw the _**Prophet **_lying on the table.

"I is not wanting Miss Lily to see that, Mr. Severus," Tita said. "I keeps it out here."

Severus opened it up and was blasted by the headline, **_'James and Lily Potter's Grave Desecrated and Bodies Missing One Year after Deaths!'_ **"You're right, Tita. I don't think Lily should see this right now."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 7**

Sirius paced outside of James' room at St. Mungo's while Remus sat with his head resting back against the wall, his eyes closed. The double doors at the end of the hall swished open and Dumbledore came striding through. He ignored Remus and walked up to Sirius. "Any news regarding James, Sirius?"

"No. I told the healer what Remus told me they needed to give James, but I haven't heard anything since."

Albus stared at Remus, his eyes hard. "How did you know what James needed, Remus?"

"Common sense, Albus. While I wasn't as good at Potions as Snape and Lily, I was much better than James and Sirius. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that coming back from the dead is exhausting and his magical core is going to be affected. The _Elixir of Power_ is the potion for core exhaustion and it's always given with a _Strengthening Solution_," Remus replied without bothering to open his eyes. He wasn't about to give Albus the chance to try and use Ligilimency on him. "It's basic common sense."

"Well, now we can get Harry away from Snivellus!" Sirius crowed. "The Wizengamot certainly can't deny the real father's right to his child."

"No, they can't," Dumbledore replied. "He's the only one who can defeat Voldemort and the Wizarding world is counting on him. The Wizengamot knows that and they know he'll need special training which he will not get with Snape."

'_That's what they think'_ Remus thought. '_They can't while Lily's alive_.' He wasn't going to tell them that Lily had come back also. No point in giving them a jump on things.

Sirius chuckled. "Yeah Snivellus always was pants at defense. The slimeball couldn't even defend himself when we pranked him."

Remus got up, yawned and stretched. "I'm beat! I'm going to go home and get some sleep. If you fire-call me and I don't answer it's because I'm asleep. I'll check in with you when I get up, Sirius."

"Okay, Remus," Sirius said and went back to pacing.

Remus flooed home to Grimmauld Place and then flooed over to Severus' house. As soon as he stepped out of the fireplace he heard Harry shout, "Remmy!" He looked up and saw Harry sitting up by Lily who was reading to him. He smiled. "Hello Harry."

"Remus, it's so good to see you. How are you?" Lily asked.

"Quite dumbfounded actually," Remus replied. "I'm having trouble believing this is real, but as shocked as I am; you must be three times more so."

Lily nodded. "I never expected to see Harry again at least not from this side and it is shocking to realize I've been dead for a year, but now I'm alive again."

"I won't say I can imagine how you feel because I can't. Did Severus tell you that James is back also?"

"Yes," Lily said her expression turning to one of anger. "He's the reason You-Know-Who was able to find us because he insisted on making Sirius the Secret Keeper first and then the two of them went behind my back and decided to make Peter the Secret Keeper. I wanted you, but …"

"I'm a werewolf so James thought I'd go over to You-Know-Who because he was offering werewolves full rights," Remus finished for her.

"He was a complete arse about it! You've been his friend since first year and he thought you would betray us! It's just like when Harry was born and the only interest he took in him was to forbid me to put Sev down as his guardian."

"The healers were still in with James when I left St. Mungo's and Sirius was pacing outside his room like an expectant father. Albus came just before I left."

"Wait until I see him and Petunia again!" Lily declared vehemently. "They're definitely going to wish I'd never come back from the dead."

Severus walked into the room from his lab in the basement where he had been brewing more Elixir of Power. "Hi, Remus I thought I heard your voice. Did Black take Potter to St. Mungo's?"

"Yes, he did. James was really out of it. He apparently thinks he has been out drinking with Sirius and got really drunk. He doesn't realize it's a year later. I came to see Lily, but you need to know that with James alive, Dumbledore and Sirius are planning to try and get custody of Harry again."

"Thank you for letting me know, Remus. I'll call Reginald and we'll nip this before they even have a chance to start it." He walked over to the fireplace, threw in some floo powder, and stuck his hand in. "Reginald Winchester's office."

Reginald's got up from his desk and knelt by the fireplace. "Severus, good to see you. What can I do for you?"

"Can you come through, Reginald? I'd rather you saw for yourself."

"Of course, Severus." Severus stepped aside so Reginald could come through.

Reginald stepped out of the fireplace wearing a gray pin-striped robe. "Now, what may …" He stopped speaking as he saw Lily. "Merciful Merlin!"

"This is Lily Evans Potter, Reginald. James Potter has apparently come back too so Dumbledore and Black are already plotting get custody of Harry awarded to James. Lily, this is my grandfather's most trusted Barrister and Solicitor, Reginald Winchester."

Reginald shook himself and nodded. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs. Potter." He immediately turned to the business at hand. "The first thing we need to do is establish that she is definitely Lily Potter. We'll need to do it on the biologic level and on the magical level. Eileen can help us with the biology, Severus." He turned to Remus. "Am I correct in believing that when somebody becomes an Auror, they're magical signature is registered at the Ministry?"

'That's correct," Remus affirmed.

"But I don't have my wand anymore …" Lily started to say.

"I'll be back in a moment," Severus said and went upstairs and came back down. He handed the wand to Lily whose eyes widened at the sight of it. "My wand! But how did you get it, Sev?"

"Remus. He was sent out to your house in Godric's Hollow the day after …and he found your wand underneath Harry's overturned cot. He saved it and gave it to Harry last Christmas. I was saving it to give to Harry when he goes to Hogwarts."

"Thank you, Remus for saving it and giving it to Harry."

"You're welcome, Lily. I don't know what happened to James' wand. I expect the Ministry got it."

"I don't mean to offend you, Mrs. Potter with my question, but are you planning to resume living with James Potter?"

Lily shook her head. "No, our marriage was over at this point last year. James had no interest in being either a husband to me or father to Harry. He was only interested in working; he wanted to be head of the Auror Department by the time he was thirty especially after he heard Sev had become the youngest Potion Master in Wizarding Britain. When we were forced into hiding he got resentful and our marriage deteriorated even faster until it became pretty much unbearable."

The reason I asked," Reginald explained, "is once we have your identity confirmed we'll need to establish your right to the Potter vaults with the Gringotts Goblins. You are entitled to half of the total Potter wealth."

Lily shook her head. "I don't need half. I just want enough for Harry's seven years of Hogwarts and to get him established in an apprenticeship or whatever he decides to do after he graduates and I want enough to support Harry and I while I decide what I want to do. I think four vaults will be enough to cover it. James will still have eleven."

"If you're sure, Mrs. Potter. After all as your lawyer it's my duty to lookout for your best interests."

"I'm sure, but I'd like you to prepare divorce papers to be served on James as soon as he's out of the hospital and I want physical custody of Harry. I also want to change my name back to Evans."

"I will go back to my office and get started," Reginald promised. He flooed back to his office.

"You're in good hands, Lily. I was at the trial when Albus was trying to get custody of Harry from Severus and return him to your sister. Mr. Winchester wiped the floor with him!" Remus said.

"Just wait until I see _that_ old fart!" Lily said shaking her wand angrily.

"I'm sure it won't be long, but he won't be able to locate you since my house is under the _Fidelius_ Charm," Severus said.

"I'd better be getting back. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything further about James," Remus promised. He threw the floo powder down and shouted, "Grimmauld Place."

Severus turned back to Lily. "Harry's been going to daycare at St. Mungo's. I think it's been really good for him. He's made friends with Alice and Frank's son and with Teddy Nott. He can stay here if you want though, but he is safe there; they have excellent wards."

"Since you have Harry on a schedule, Sev why don't you keep him on it. I can rest during the day while he's there and I'll have more energy to play with him when he comes home," Lily said.

The next morning Severus got Harry up, bathed and dressed. Lily joined them for breakfast and ate some porridge with milk. Eileen was gradually building up the amount and type of foods she could eat.

Harry was reluctant to leave with Severus and Severus knew it was because he feared Lily would not be there when he returned. Lily saw his reluctance and gave him a hug. "Don't be scared Harry, I'll be here when you come home; I'll be here when you go off to Hogwarts and even when you get married."

Harry smiled and went back to Severus who lifted him up into his arms. Harry waved at Lily. "Goodbye, Mummy!"

"Goodbye, sweetie; I'll see you later."

Severus and Harry walked to the entrance of the daycare and Severus knelt down in front of Harry. "Harry, you can't tell anybody about your mummy, not for a couple of weeks, okay? After that time your mummy will be well enough to bring you here herself. Okay?"

Harry nodded seriously. "Kay, Da."

"Okay. Give me a hug."

Harry gave Severus a tight hug before Severus took him into the daycare and watched him run over to Neville and Teddy. He waved at Miss Sherry and continued on to Potions Research.

As he walked in he overheard his co-workers talking about James Potter's miraculous return from the dead. "Yeah, they've got him up in the special ward for Aurors."

"Heard he was still unconscious," somebody else said.

"I heard Scrimgeour's think he's might be an Inferi," another remarked. "They don't know what happened to Mrs. Potter. Death Eaters probably stole her body, burnt it or did something worse."

Severus shook his head and walked to his work station in the back of the room and started work. As was his custom he stopped in to see Harry at lunchtime and then flooed home briefly to see how Lily was doing. She was attired in a Kelly green, silk dressing gown and reading one of his potion books. She looked up as he exited the fireplace and smiled. "Sev, how's Harry doing in school?"

"He's fine; he was having lunch with Neville and Teddy. Is there anything I can get you after work?"

"Clothes," Lily joked. "Your mum bought this for me or else I wouldn't have anything at all to wear. That's the first thing I'm going to do after your Mr. Winchester get my identity re-established."

"I think I'd better leave that to you. You know what my idea of fashion is," Severus joked

"Umm …black and green?" Lily teased. "Maybe some silver too."

"Come on I _do_ wear blue every once in awhile."

"Okay, once in awhile you wear some color other than black and green," Lily conceded. "Anyway I'm going on a shopping spree first thing once I get my identity back."

"I'll remember to stay out of the way," Severus joked as he got up to go back to work.

Mr. Winchester was as good as his word. Within two days he had established Lily identity with not only the Ministry, but with Gringotts Bank. He established three new vaults in the name of Lily Evans and had the Goblins transfer the gold out of three of the Potter vaults into Lily's new vaults. He also presented her with the divorce papers he had drawn up and the custody papers for Harry. She sighed them with a flourish.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

James opened his eyes to find everything was blurry, but he could recognize he was in the hospital room. "Merlin's beard!" He groaned.

"Prongs!" Sirius dropped the Quidditch magazine he was reading and leaped to his feet.

"What the hell were we drinking Halloween night, Padfoot? I feel like I've been run over twice by a herd of Hippogriffs!"

"You don't remember what happened to you?"

James shook his head and moaned. "When Lily finds out what we did she'll lock me out of the bedroom permanently!"

"Prongs!" Sirius called to get his attention. "You've both been dead for a year so you don't have to worry about what Lily thinks. You-Know-Who found out where you were hiding and came to your house."

"What?" James shouted. "You're saying You-Know-Who killed me and now I came back from the dead? If this is one of your weird jokes, Padfoot, it's not funny!"

"It's true, Prongs! I swear on Merlin's grave!" Sirius defended himself. "Peter's a Death Eater and he told You-Know-Who where you were hiding and he came to the house and killed you and Lily. He tried to kill Harry, but the kid blew him to smithereens somehow! We couldn't even find one bone fragment of You-Know-Who and Harry's famous as the only one ever to survive the killing curse."

"Naw …uhnuhn. Peter's a Marauder; he wouldn't betray us. It was probably Snivellus. I told Lily to quit owling that fucker, but she wouldn't listen to me!"

"I don't know, Prongs. If it was Snivellus then why hasn't Peter been around? He didn't even come to your funeral."

"I'll bet Snivellus killed him after forcing him to give up our location!"

"I hadn't thought of that," Sirius admitted. "And if that's true then it's urgent that we get Harry away from Snivellus."

"What the hell are you talking about now, Padfoot?" James complained.

"Snivellus has custody of your son because Lily, against your expressed wishes, made him Harry's guardian!"

"What!" James squawked. "Didn't you or Albus try and get him away from Snivellus?"

"Of course, Prongs!" Sirius snapped. "What do you take us for anyway? Albus took him before the Wizengamot, but they sided with Snivellus, probably because a lot of them are Death Eaters; they gave Snivvy custody of Harry and banned Albus from taking part in the Wizengamot for one year."

"Damn Lily!" James groaned. "This is all her fault! She never would listen when I told her not to do something and now I'm stuck cleaning up her mess!"

"Well, she dead now and as far as I'm concerned you're well rid of her Prongs! Once we get Harry back we can raise him like a true Marauder's son should be raised," Sirius replied rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

**Page Break ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Severus' parents came over the following Saturday; Eileen to check Lily's physical condition and Toby to watch the Manchester-Liverpool game with Harry who sat in Toby's lap, clapped his hands and shouted, "Go, Manchester!"

After examining Lily, Eileen decided she was strong enough to go on her much anticipated shopping trip as long as Severus went with her and she didn't overtire herself trying to do too much at once. Lily agreed to her terms. After eating lunch she kissed Harry goodbye and Severus and her flooed directly to Gringotts. The Goblin who greeted them as they stepped out of the floo (only the wealthiest and most valued customers were allowed to use the floo) summoned Zort who took care of the Prince fortune. They went into his office and he verified Lily's identity from the time when James had first added her to his account after their marriage. "As per you instructions to Mr. Winchester I've transferred two of the Potter vaults to you under the name Lily Elizabeth Evans. They are Vaults 730 and 731. I've transferred two other vaults under the name of Harry James Potter and they are Vaults 732 and 733. Would you care to visit your vaults today?"

"Yes, I need to get some Galleons out and convert them to Muggle money."

Zort summoned a cart and they rode down to the vaults, Lily holding tightly to Severus' arm. Her fear of heights had always made going down to the vaults difficult so James had always done it. Zort opened her vault and Lily took some gold out and put it into the moleskin bag he'd given her. Severus also took some money out of his vault to convert. They rode back up to the main floor and Zort converted their Galleons into Pounds for them.

"Zort, I would be pleased if you would handle Harry's and my accounts," Lily said.

"It would be my pleasure, Missus," Zort replied.

"Thank you very much for your fine service," Lily replied.

They took the floo back to Severus' house where Lily changed her appearance slightly by darkening her hair and eyes. "Who's winning?" Severus called at the door that led to the garage.

"Manchester of course, Sev," Toby called back. They had an array of snacks spread out on the table in front of them to eat while watching the game.

Severus and Lily got into his Ashton-Martin V-8 Vantage and Severus backed out of the garage. Lily giggled. "So, Sev you finally got your Vantage. I remember how you used to always talk about buying one at Hogwarts."

Yes, and I'm glad I took dad's advice and learned how to drive too."

Lily knew she wanted to go to Marks & Spencer. When she thought about the colorless, frumpy looking clothes she'd worn while married to James; it made her want to buy every colorful piece of clothing she could lay her hands on. Severus fortunately found a parking spot close to the store. He watched bemusedly as Lily bought a pile of clothes consisting of jeans, jumpers, and skirts, panty hose, underwear, shoes, and purses. She also bought some cosmetics and bath accessories. Severus carried most of the bags while Lily took the remaining two out of the store, to his car where he put them in the boot. "Would you like to go anywhere else?"

Lily shook her head. "No. I promised your mum I wouldn't overdo things and trying on all these clothes did tire me a bit, but I was having so much fun. Thanks for taking me, Sev."

"No problem, Lily," Severus replied putting his car in gear and pulling away from the curb out into traffic.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

James had finally gotten out of St. Mungo's and was taking it easy at Grimmauld Place. He was planning on going back to being an Auror as soon as his healer certified him fully healed. The floo sounded downstairs and he suddenly heard Sirius voice raised in anger. James ventured downstairs to see what Sirius was yelling about. He figured he was yelling at Kreacher for something. He hated Kreacher and Kreacher hated him. He couldn't figure out why Sirius hadn't let Regulus take him when he had moved out. Kreacher adored Regulus.

There was a man standing in the living room on the second floor formally dressed in a gray pinstriped robe and looking very stern. "Good day, Mr. Potter." The unknown man said. "I am Reginald Winchester of Winchester and Associates Law Firm. I am representing your wife, Lily Elizabeth Evans Potter."

Remus, knowing what was coming, had made himself scarce from Grimmauld Place.

Sirius swung around. "You didn't have to come downstairs, Prongs. I was just about to throw this git out! He's Snivellus' barrister and he's the one who represented Snivvy when they stole Harry from me."

James eyes bulged. "Lily's alive? Why isn't she here with me where she should be?" He demanded.

Reginald handed James two pieces of paper. "I believe these will explain things better, Mr. Potter."

James read each of the papers and his jaw dropped open. He looked rather witless with his mouth hanging open. "Padfoot, this says Lily wants a divorce and this one says she suing me for full custody of the kid!"

"You don't have to do anything, Prongs because you don't have any proof Lily's really back!" Sirius snarled.

"I assure you she is and she is really Lily Potter." Reginald unrolled another piece of parchment. "Her identity's already been fully established by St. Mungo's based on her biology and by the Ministry based on her magical signature. I've also established her identity with Gringotts and the Goblins have transferred four of the Potter Vaults in her name."

"What! She doesn't have any rights to the Potter fortune!" James yelled.

Reginald smirked. "Perhaps you should have read your marriage contract, Mr. Potter. Mrs. Potter is actually entitled to half of the Potter fortune, but chose to take only enough to support herself and Harry."

"I'm not signing any papers until I talk to Lily!" James threatened.

"I suggest you sign that paper, Mr. Potter. I don't think you want the entire Wizarding world to know you were a neglectful husband and father as they will find out if you're going to insist on a making this public."

James blanched and hastily scribbled his name on the parchment. "She can have partial custody of Harry, and I want partial custody," James demanded.

"As long as Miss Evans agrees to it," Reginald replied smoothly. "By the way, Mrs. Potter is also changing her name back to Evans."

"I'm an Auror and a hero! She can't treat me this way!"

"Your wife is also an Auror and more of heroine than you will ever be a hero. I will speak with Lily about your insisting on partial custody of Harry and inform you of her decision." Reginald took the sighed divorce papers to file at the Ministry and disappeared into the floo.

"Prick!" Sirius yelled at Reginald's retreating figure. "Don't worry, Prongs! I'm going fire-call Albus and we'll get this straightened out!"

**Page ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Severus and Lily arrived back at his home. "There are large bedrooms on the third and fourth floors with smaller bedrooms right next door you can have and Harry can have the room next door."

"Where's he been sleeping, Sev?"

"With me. I transfigured a crib the first night I had him, but he started screaming when I tried to put him in it and was so upset I ended up letting him sleep with me and that's where he's been sleeping ever since. Maybe if we let him choose the decorations and furniture, he might decide he likes having his own room."

"We can try. I'll look at the rooms and decide where I want to stay." Lily decided. She followed Severus up the stairs to the third and then the fourth floor and looked at both bedrooms. "You know, Sev I really like this one," she said as she stood in the fourth floor bedroom. "The view is wonderful and there's plenty of room." There was a big bed, a chest of drawers, a dresser with a mirror besides a sofa. The room was painted in a soft blue with mauve and blue drapes and comforter. "It feels very peaceful in here."

"It's yours then."

"I'll put away the clothes and things I bought."

"Okay, I'll …" Severus was interrupted by Eileen calling up the stairs. "Lily, Reginald is here and would like to see you."

"Tell him I'll be right there, Eileen and thanks."

Lily and Severus went back downstairs. Reginald was waiting in Severus' study. "I flooed over to Grimmauld Place earlier and gave Mr. Potter the divorce papers and the custody papers for Harry."

"Knowing James I imagine he threw a fit!" Lily chuckled.

"Precisely," Reginald replied. "He refused to sign the divorce papers at first until I suggested he wouldn't want it to come out in court that he was a neglectful husband and father."

"Merlin forbid there should be any black marks against the precious Potter name!" Lily spat. "What about Harry?"

"I told him you wanted full custody, but he's demanding partial custody."

"Like hell!" Lily said. "I'm not having those two gits raising Harry to be a miniature Marauder and a spoiled bully!"

"Besides that, who the hell's going to watching Harry while those two dumb arses are out playing super Aurors or searching for Pettigrew?" Severus demanded.

"I suspect they fire-called Dumbledore the moment I was gone," Reginald chuckled.

"Well if it's a fight they want; it's a fight they're going to get!" Lily declared vehemently


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 8**

Severus' grandparents came over to visit the next weekend. "Grandpa, Nana!" Harry cried running up to them and giving them hugs.

"Hello Harry," Audra said giving him a hug. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, Nana."

"Hello," Lily said. She smiled at Tiberius and Audra. "Harry's been telling me all about last Christmas at Armorel. It sounded beautiful."

"It was, but you'll be there with Harry and Sev this year," Tiberius stated stoutly.

"Yes, of course I will."

Harry was jumping up and down. "I gots a new room!"

"Harry, why don't you take your grandparents upstairs and show them your bedroom while I get Sev. He's brewing in his lab."

"Come on, Grandpa and Nana," Harry said tugging on Tiberius' hand.

"All right, young man," Tiberius chuckled. "Lead the way."

Lily went to the door of Severus lab and knocked softly. "Sev?"

He opened the door. "Your grandparents are here. Harry took them upstairs to show them his room."

Severus put the potion he was brewing in stasis and followed Lily out of his lab. "He sure is excited about his new bedroom."

"I know. He wants to show it to anybody who come through the floo," Lily laughed. "No matter what they're here for."

They went upstairs to Harry's room so Severus could greet his grandparents. The walls of Harry's room were painted white and the furniture consisting of a toddler bed, chest of drawers, and a child-size wardrobe were made of oak. The comforter was Manchester United and the club's pennants were hanging on the walls.

"And da, mummy and me gots my stuff from Grandpa Toby's store," Harry was telling Tiberius and Audra as Severus and Lily came into the room. "Grandpa Toby gots me the United Manchester stuff."

"Harry and my dad are the team's number one fans," Severus chuckled. Harry did know it, but his grandpa was giving him tickets to a live game for Christmas this year." He gave his grandparents a hug. "You should have let me know you were coming."

"I had some business in Diagon Alley so we thought we'd stop by before we went home again," Tiberius explained.

"I'm happy that you did," Severus said. "Why don't we go downstairs? I'm sure Tita has tea ready."

They went back downstairs and into the living room where Tita served tea. Harry had a glass of milk and a cookie and then Lily took him upstairs for his nap. When she came down again and sat down on the couch next to Audra.

"I understand from Reginald that your ex-husband is attempting to get custody of Harry," Tiberius said.

"Yes, I've already gotten a notice from Wizarding Child Services about the date of the hearing."

"Don't worry, my dear," Audra said. "You have the best barrister in Wizarding legal field.

"I know. Remus told me he made Dumbledore look like a complete fool when he tried to take Harry away from Sev."

"That he did," Tiberius said approvingly.

"I got a notice from WCS so I'll have to attend the hearing too as I'm Harry registered guardian," Severus said. "I'm sure Dumbledore will be there also if for no other reason than to gloat."

"I'm not sure I want Harry to attend Hogwarts if Dumbledore is still Headmaster by the time Harry turns eleven," Lily said. "Maybe Sev and I could school him ourselves. He can take his OWL's and NEWT's at the Ministry."

"It's a thought," Audra said. "Harry's certainly a smart little boy, but there is the problem of socialization that he won't receive being home-schooled."

"Maybe, there's other parents who don't want their children attending Hogwarts and we could set up a small class," Severus said.

"I'm just afraid if I send him to Hogwarts Dumbledore will try to use him a pawn against You-Know-Who," Lily said. "Harry isn't alive because of any sacrifice I made, but because when I knew You-Know-Who was after him I started researching and I invented a Charm that would protect Harry from the Killing Curse. I couldn't test it of course, but it must have worked."

"Dumbledore was going on at the trial about your blood sacrifice and how it could be used to protect Harry by use of blood wards," Tiberius snorted. "And here it wasn't even that!"

"Well, his stupidity got him suspended for a year from the Wizengamot," Severus remarked. "And we all know Harry will be the one sent to slaughter when You-Know-Who does return. Dumbledore will sit on his bony arse and do nothing just as he's done this time."

"Yes, a lot of people want to believe he's gone for good, but there are many who don't and I'm one of them," Tiberius said. "A man that afraid of dying makes sure he never does."

"It's just a question of when," Severus added grimly.

After his grandparents had left, Severus still sat twirling his teacup around on its saucer by its handle. He knew You-Know-Who would be back because at school he'd heard rumors in Slytherin of the dreadful things You-Know-Who had done to live forever. He obviously hadn't counted on the powers of one Lily Evans.

The hearing was in two day and Lily was looking forward to confronting James, Sirius, and Dumbledore, especially Dumbledore. Her temper went into overdrive when she thought about him leaving Harry with her hateful sister and on top of that stealing money out of the Potter Vaults to pay Petunia and Vernon to keep Harry when they were so obviously using the money for themselves.

"You know when I walk in with Harry I'm going to pretend it's the first time I've seen you since you've come back. It wouldn't do for Potter or Dumbledore to find out you're living in my home."

"I know and I'm prepared," Lily said.

WCS was located on level two of the Ministry of Magic. They were meeting in the Head of WCS, Sarah Mullings' office. James arrived first and took a seat. Lily came in next wearing one of the stylish dresses she'd just bought and sat down to wait for Mrs. Mullings.

"Lils …" James began

"Don't call me that ridiculous name," Lily snapped. "You know very well I've always hated it."

"You know Snivellus is raising Harry because you went against my direct orders not to name him Harry's guardian."

"Your direct orders?" Lily yelled. "You couldn't even be bothered to be there when Harry was born! Molly was with me the whole time I was in labor with Harry and at his birth. What right did you have to decide anything?"

"I was out apprehending dark wizards so our world could be safer," James snapped.

"You were trying to beat Sev is what you were trying to do! You're jealous because Sev is the youngest Potion Master _ever_ in Wizarding Britain and you wanted to beat him by becoming the Head of the Auror department before you were thirty."

"I don't bloody care what that slimy snake does …"

"And me!" Lily railed. "All I've ever been is a trophy to fling in Sev's face whenever the opportunity presented itself!"

"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans?" Mrs. Mullings said opening the door to her office. "Please come inside and be seated."

Lily glared at James and he glared back at her. She shoved past James, went inside of the office and sat down. James stormed in and sat in a chair on the opposite side of the desk.

Sarah sat down and studied the two angry individuals across from her desk. There was a knock on her door and Albus came in followed by Sirius. "I'm here to testify on Mr. Potter's behalf," Albus said smoothly.

Lily clutched her wand tightly. How she wanted to cast a hex on him! Maybe, the balding hex that would make his hair and beard fall completely out. Now _that_ would be funny!

There was another knock on the door and Severus, carrying Harry, and followed by Reginald Winchester came in.

"Now that we're all …" Her sentence was suddenly broken by James lunging at Severus. "Give me my son, Snivellus!"

Harry gave a cry of fear and clutched Severus tightly, burying his face in his robe. "Shh, Harry nobody's going to hurt you," Severus said rubbing small circles on his back.

"Get away from Harry!" Lily snapped. "Can't you see you're scaring him?"

"What I see is that Snivellus has been telling him bad stuff about me so he's afraid of me!"

"What I see is an idiot who's using their son as a weapon against his ex-wife," Severus snapped.

"Mr. Potter! Please calm yourself and sit back down!" Sarah ordered.

James glared at both Severus and Lily, but plopped back down into his seat, crossed his legs and his arms and snorted loudly.

"Now this hearing is to decide who gets physical custody of Harry James Potter and to decide what the visitation right of the non-custodial parent will be."

Harry struggled to get down off Severus' lap. Severus set him down thinking he would head for the toy box in the office, but he ran over to Lily instead. "Mummy." Harry held up his arms to be lifted up. Lily lifted him and set him in her lap. James leaned forward. "Hiya Harry; you remember me. I'm your daddy."

Harry shrank back against Lily. He didn't like this man and his mummy didn't like him and neither did his da.

"It appears you frighten Harry, Mr. Potter," Sarah remarked.

James started to splutter and Sirius to growl, but Albus said smoothly. "Harry hasn't seen his father for a year now so he may not remember him, but I'm sure he will remember his life before once he's living with James."

Sarah frowned. "His mother's been gone for a year also, but he doesn't appear to have forgotten her nor does he appear to fear her the way he does his father."

"Where are you living, Lily?" James demanded suddenly.

"I can't tell you since its under the _Fidelius Charm_ and I'm not the Secret Keeper, but its well warded in addition to the _Fidelius Charm_. Harry will be perfectly safe there. I'm certainly not telling you even if I did know given your _talent _for choosing Secret Keepers," she said scornfully.

"That wasn't Peter!" James hissed. "He's a Marauder and he would _never_ betray us."

"Even though you two always treated him like a joke instead of like a real friend," Lily pointed out sarcastically. "Who do you think betrayed us if it wasn't Pettigrew?"

"You were the one still owling that dirty Death Eater Snivellus against my specific orders. He was probably richly rewarded for telling You-Know-Who our location!"

"Sev isn't a Death Eater and if you recall, you arrogant arse I wasn't the Secret Keeper so I couldn't tell him where we were."

"Just for verification," Severus pulled up the left sleeve of his robe, took out his cuff link, and rolled up his sleeve to show everybody his unmarked arm.

"Mr. Potter, you will stop referring to my client as a Death Eater or I'll have you before a court on a slander charge," Reginald said.

"Miss Evans, please tell me why you think Mr. Potter shouldn't have full custody of your son?"

Lily told her about James getting angry when she told him she was pregnant, how he took no interest in her pregnancy, how he was absent for his birth and didn't come home again until Harry was a week old. "I got absolutely no help from him with Harry at all," Lily explained. "Molly Weasley helped me out a lot that first week, but she has a big family of her own to take care of so her time was limited."

"I'm an Auror and you have to put your duties above anything else," James protested. "You were an Auror too so you should know that."

"Frank didn't leave Alice alone with Neville her first week as a new mum," Lily pointed out. "The only time you put on a big show of being Harry's dad was at Harry's first birthday party and that was only because there were guests. Otherwise you wouldn't have even been at his party!" She turned to Sarah. "I don't want Harry visiting his father unsupervised because he and Black will go off and leave Black's ancient house elf, Kreacher to watch over Harry or else they might kidnap him and leave the country. I also don't want him to grow up being a spoiled brat and a bully."

Sarah noticed Harry was getting restless and reached down and flipped open the toy chest by her desk. "Harry, would you like to choose a toy to play with?"

Lily set him down on the floor and he went over to the toy chest. His eyes widened as he spotted a rather worn looking stuffed gray Hippogriff and carefully lifted it out of the chest. He ran back over to Severus dragging it behind him. "You just made Harry's day, Mrs. Mulling," Severus chuckling.

"You can take Harry out into the waiting room, Mr. Snape. I don't need him for anything," Sarah suggested.

"I'll go too," Sirius announced. "I want make sure the greasy bastard doesn't take off with Harry when you get custody of him, Prongs. I'll be glad to stun the creep if he tries!"

"Mr. Potter, why do you think you should have full custody of your son?"

"Because he needs to be raised to be as a proper Potter. He needs to learn and be trained in the Potter traditions. I want him to follow in my footsteps; be sorted into Gryffindor when he goes to Hogwarts, be captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and become an Auror after he graduates. He'll need to have special training too because Albus says Harry is the only one that can save us if You-Know-Who comes back."

"Here, here, James," Albus said clapping. "James has the right ideas for Harry. _He_ is the only one that can save the Wizarding world when Voldemort comes back."

"Well, I've got a shock for you Albus. I invented a charm which I spelled on Harry and that's what saved him from being killed. The Avada Kedavra bounced off the shield the charm created and back at You-Know-Who," Lily snapped. "You are _not_ going to raise my son as a _pig_ for slaughter. He's a child and shouldn't have the burden of saving the Wizarding world place on his shoulders. If You-Know-Who does return, he should be dealt with by _adult_ wizards not a child."

Sarah sat back in her chair; she did not like what she heard from James, Sirius, or Albus. James wanted a clone of himself and Albus wanted a sacrificial lamb. Neither of them saw Harry as the happy, carefree, little boy he was. She wasn't sure even about granting visitation rights especially if Albus was going to around. She didn't care for Sirius Black at all. He seemed filled with hate and she didn't believe Harry could benefit in any way from a relationship with him. "I'm granting full custody of the minor child, Harry James Potter to his mother Lily Evans. I will not grant visitation rights to you, Mr. Potter until you can prove to me that you regard Harry as his own person and not just a clone of yourself. I also don't like Mr. Black's obvious hatred of anybody Slytherin. You're no longer at Hogwarts and old animosities should be forgotten. I am also very uncomfortable, Headmaster Dumbledore, with the way you simply view this child as the savior of the Wizarding world. I do not want to see this unnecessary burden placed on this child's shoulders."

"I'll bet you were in Slytherin and that's why you're giving my son to Lily and by extension that greasy snake, Snivellus," James accused her angrily.

"Not that's it's any of your business, Mr. Potter, but I was a Ravenclaw."

"Yeah, and they were always allies of the Snakes too," James snorted

"And you wonder why I don't want Harry around you," Lily remarked with a shake of her head. She went out into the waiting room where Severus was holding Harry and he was playing with the stuffed Hippogriff. "Time to go, sweetie. Let's give your toy back to Mrs. Mulling."

"Kay, Mummy."

Sirius jumped to his feet. "You mean she gave custody of Harry to you so you can continue to fraternize with that greasy snake?"

Lily ignored him and took Harry back into the office to put the toy back in the chest. Sarah smiled at Harry and said, "Why don't you keep Greyboy, Harry? He's been on the job for many years so he's due for retirement and he needs to go to a good home."

Harry's eyes widened and he smiled widely showing a gap-tooth smile. "I take good care of him."

"I know you will, Harry."

Lily bent and took Harry's hand in hers. "Let's take your new friend home, Harry. Tell Mrs. Mulling thank you."

"Tank you," Harry said waving.

"You're welcome," Sarah said smiling. He was such a sweet little boy.

Severus was not waiting in the outer office and Lily figured he must have already flooed home. She picked up Harry and stepped into the floo and was gone in a flash of green.

"You're well rid of her, Prongs. Did you see the way she was dressed?" Sirius said.

"Yeah, like a whore," James replied. "I'd sure as hell like to know where's she's living. I'll bet Snivellus is over there all the time."

"Let's go home, Prongs. Remus should be back from patrol and we can all have some of Ogden's Best Fire Whiskey and make fun of Snivellus," Sirius said clapping James on his back.

"Yeah, we can relive some of our better pranks on that whining weenie!"

**Page ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Lily stepped through the floo at Severus house and found Severus, Eileen and Toby, and also Tiberius, Audra and Reginald Winchester. Remus was there also. Tita had fixed a big lunch in celebration of Lily retaining custody of Harry.

"I've just got to decide what I want to do with myself now," Lily sighed. "I don't want to go back to being an Auror because I don't want to put myself in danger and take the chance of Harry possibly going to James."

"You used to always talk about getting Mastery in Charms," Severus said. "There's still plenty of time to do it. I'm sure Professor Flitwick would be thrilled to have you as his apprentice."

"I remember you'd talk about being a healer too," Remus said. "That's a four year program; five if you study to be a Master Healer."

"I was thinking that once Harry is settled in I'd get my Mastery in Herbology," Severus said. "Herbology was always my favorite subject after Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."

"Your mum's always said you took care of her gardens as good as she did," Toby remarked.

"Yes, I grow a lot of magical plants and herbs in the Conservatory. It temperature controlled in there and there's a timed spray system to keep the plants moist. I've grown tomatoes that taste as good as ones grown outdoors."

Harry ate contentedly while holding tightly to his new friend. He was glad the three scary people were gone and he was safe at his home again.

"You know you could volunteer at Happy Hallows at St. Mungo's. I'll bet Miss Sherry could use your help and you've always been really good with children," Eileen suggested. "Just until you decide what you want to do from here on in."

"That's a good idea, Eileen. I was going to start taking Harry to daycare tomorrow so I can speak to his teacher then."

"Everybody calls her Miss Sherry – the kids, the parents, even the hospital staff," Severus said with a grin.

After everyone had left, Harry went upstairs with Lily to take his nap. As she tucked him into bed Harry asked, "We stay here, Mummy?"

"Of course, sweetie, this is our home now."

"No bad men?"

"No. We won't see them again, Harry," Lily promised. She gave him a kiss and then went back downstairs.

Severus was working in his study when Lily walked in and sat down on the couch. He turned around. "Is Harry okay? I noticed he was pretty quiet at lunch."

"He was scared of Potter, Black, and Dumbledore," Lily remarked. "He asked me about them and I told him we won't see them again."

"Yes, he was the same way after Dumbledore dragged us in front of the Wizengamot. I wanted to do an _Incendio_ on his arse!"

"I'll admit I felt the same way today. I hope they'll all leave us alone, but I suspect that's wishful thinking."

The next morning Lily took Harry to daycare. When they stepped out of the floo and rounded the corner she saw James, dressed in his red and blue Auror robes, lounging outside the daycare entrance with a frustrated look on his face. She knew it was because he couldn't get through the wards. "What are you doing here?"

James straightened up and thrust out his chest. "Sirius and Albus told me Snivellus worked at St. Mungo's so I figured Harry was probably enrolled here."

Harry hid behind Lily. He didn't want to see this bad man.

Lily stooped down to Harry and said, "Why don't you go inside, sweetie and ask Miss Sherry if she'll come out?"

"Kay, Mummy." She opened the door for him and he went inside.

James sneered. "You've turned him into a right sissy, Evans. He's not going to be able to defeat You-Know-Who like he is now and he'll probably be sorted into Hufflepuff because that's where all the losers go."

"Shut up, Potter! You're nothing but a whining bigot and always were!"

Miss Sherry came out into the hallway. "Harry told me you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I want him, Sirius Black, and Albus Dumbledore kept completely away from Harry and if any of them are hanging around here I want you to call hospital security and have them thrown out."

"Yes, Mr. Snape has already requested that I keep Mr. Black and Headmaster Dumbledore away from Harry, but I will add Mr. Potter to the list," Miss Sherry said.

"You can't do that," James yelled. "I'm an Auror and I have the authority to do whatever I want without any interference from you, Evans, Snivellus or anybody else!"

Even though Miss Sherry only came up to James' shoulder, she looked him straight in the eye and said, "My first priority is protecting the children here. You try anything funny, Mr. Potter and I'll not only call hospital security and have you thrown out, but I'll also call my former housemate, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and ask him to report you to Mr. Scrimgeour!"

James skulked away, shooting dirty looks at Lily and Miss Sherry. He'd have to apparate to Hogwarts to see if Albus had come up with any solution for getting the kid away from Lily.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply

**Chapter 9**

Lily had talked with Miss Sherry about volunteering at Happy Hallows and they had decided she would be there two days a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Lily had also owled Professor Flitwick about her desire to get her Charms Mastery and he happily agreed to mentor her. She would be working with Flitwick on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Saturday morning Harry waited by the fireplace for Eileen and Toby to come through. He was going to watch the Manchester United game against Manchester City that afternoon and spend Saturday night with them. He had his rucksack packed with his pajamas, toothbrush, Greyboy, his quilt, and his bear.

Eileen and Toby came through the floo. "Hello, Sport!" Toby said cheerfully scooping Harry up and settling him on his hip. "Should be one hel …" He saw Eileen's expression and said instead, "Should be one rip-roaring game today, Harry!"

"Go Manchester!" Harry said pumping his little fist in the air.

"You be good and mind Grandma and Grandpa, okay?" Lily said giving him a kiss.

"I promwise," Harry said giving Lily a hug and a kiss.

"Bye, little guy," Severus said. "We'll see you Sunday morning, okay?"

"Kay, Da," Harry said giving Severus a hug and a kiss too.

They both waved as Harry disappeared into the floo with Severus' parents. "Merlin! I miss him already!" Severus remarked sitting down on the couch.

"Yes, me too, Sev, but it gives me a chance to pay a long overdue visit to Petunia."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Severus asked.

"Yes, why don't you, Sev? You can catch Tuney when she faints!" Lily laughed.

They apparated to Wisteria Walk and walked the short way to number 4 Privet Drive. Lily was dressed in jeans, a dark blue jumper and trainers and a windbreaker. Severus was dressed in jeans, his Slytherin House sweatshirt, trainers and a black leather jacket. Severus knocked on the front door and waited.

Petunia pulled open the door, an angry look on her pinched face and shrieked suddenly, attempting to shut the door in their faces, but Severus pushed open the door again went inside with Lily behind him.

"You!" Petunia hissed at Severus. "What are you doing here? I told you never to come back here after you forced us to sign the paper for the freak!"

"He's with me, Tuney!" Lily snapped coming out from behind Severus.

"No! It's not you! It can't be! You're dead!" Petunia face went white and her eyes started to roll back. Severus jumped forward to catch her.

"What did you do to Pet?" Vernon's yelled, his face turned purple with rage as he struggled to get out of his comfortable recliner.

"She's fainted is all," Severus said pulling out a vial of smelling salt from his jacket pocket. "Careful, Vernon or you'll end up having a stroke," Severus advised. He gave Lily the vial and she moved the vial under Petunia's nose.

Petunia coughed, awakened, and was on her feet instantly, regarding them warily. "What do you want with us?"

"What gave you two the right to abuse my son? What do you think mum and dad would have thought if they knew of the terrible way you treated Harry?"

"Dumbledore just left him on our doorstep to find when I went out to bring the milk in the next morning. He didn't even ring the bell to or bother talking to us first," Petunia snarled.

Lily was furious when Petunia told her that. Albus was going to get a visit and he was going to be sorry he disregarded her specific instructions! She suddenly heard a child calling "Mummy! Cookie!" An overweight toddler with curly blond hair and Petunia's blue eyes, dressed in a romper with juice and food stains on the top part of it, waddled in. Lily knew Dudley had been born a month before Harry, but he looked to outweigh Harry by about 10 or 15 pounds. He stopped when he saw Lily and Severus and looked up at them, cookie crumbs on his face and asked hopefully, "Cookie?"

Lily knelt in front of Dudley. "Hi, you must be Dudley. I'm your Aunt Lily and this …" She motioned to the tall man standing behind her. "…is my friend, Severus."

"Vernon," Petunia called. "Take Dudders into the kitchen and get him his cookie."

"Never mind, Vernon," Lily said. "I'll get Dudley his cookie."

Petunia jumped forward intent on preventing Lily from touching Dudley, but Severus stopped her. "Do you honestly believe Lily or I would deliberately hurt your son to get even with you for the atrocious way you treated Harry?"

Lily took Dudley's hand and he led her into the kitchen where they heard the sound of the lid of the cookie jar being lifted and then replaced. Dudley came back into the living room with a cookie in hand and Lily following him. She stopped in front of Petunia with her hands on her hips. "You know, Tuney if anything had happened to you and Vernon and I'd gotten custody of Dudley; I wouldn't have treated him any different than Harry and certainly not because he isn't magical. I would have treated him like my own son."

"That husband of yours wouldn't have nor that awful friend of his! I still can't believe the barbaric way they both behaved at my wedding!" Petunia snapped.

"I agree, Tuney. It _was_ barbaric, but he's no longer an issue as I've recently divorced him."

"Well, I suppose that's something," Petunia replied in a reluctant tone. She _did_ look shamefaced knowing what Lily had said was true. Their parents _would_ have been ashamed of her for treating Harry so horribly. She knew it was true too that if something had happened to her and Vernon and Lily had gotten custody of Dudley she would have treated him like her own son and would never had held it against him that he wasn't magical. "Vernon!" Petunia suddenly called sharply.

"Yes, Pet?" He answered. "Do you want me to throw the two freaks out of our house?"

"No! Vernon, we owe Lily an apology for the way we treated Harry. She's right if something had happened to us and she'd gotten custody of Dudders; she would have treated him as her own son and she's right about mum and dad too. If they found out how I behaved towards Harry they would be very ashamed of me."

"But dear, we made Marge Dudley's legal guardian so she wouldn't get him in any case," Vernon pointed out.

"I think we should think about modifying it. Marge knows a lot about dogs, but Dudders isn't a dog."

"Pet, have you gone completely mad suggesting we make _her_ Dudley's guardian," Vernon demanded.

"Vernon, I was never really comfortable with Marge being Dudder's guardian in the first place, but at the time there was nobody else I wanted to name because my anger and jealousy wouldn't allow me to see that there _was_ somebody else. I'm not saying Marge can't be Dudder's guardian, but he does need another guardian too." Vernon looked unconvinced. "Vernon, it's a matter of practicality. You know how much Marge travels; if something happened to us and Marge had custody and she died in a plane crash or something while traveling, Dudders would end up in an orphanage."

Vernon's eyes widened. It was obvious the thought of his son ending up in an orphanage had a definite impact on his viewpoint. "All right, all right, Pet as long as Marge is still going to be one of Dudley's guardians I suppose we can add your sister."

"Good then that's settled," Petunia said. She turned back to Lily. "I'm so sorry for the way I treated you while you were at school and I'm sorry for taking out that resentment on Harry. Since I've been given a second chance; things are going to be different. She took Lily's hand and asked, "Would you like to stay for tea? I made cherry muffins and they should be about ready to take out of the oven."

"That would be wonderful, Tuney," Lily answered. Severus followed Lily out into Petunia's pristine kitchen. He didn't want to particularly stay in the living room and talk to Vernon. Petunia took the muffins out of the oven while Lily prepared the tea. Petunia arranged everything perfectly on a silver tray and took it into the dining room. "Vernon dear, come have some tea and a muffin," she called.

Vernon lumbered into the dining room, put a muffin on a small saucer and took the tea Petunia offered him and lumbered back out.

"I'm afraid it's going to take Vernon awhile before he accepts things have changed," she explained apologetically to Lily as she poured tea.

"That's all right," Lily replied. "I know the entire situation is strange." She hesitated a moment and then said, "Tuney, I need to apologize too. I know mum and dad went overboard about my being a witch and didn't pay as much attention to you as they should have. I know I took advantage of that sometimes without realizing how it must have made you feel and I am truly sorry for that."

"We both made mistake so why don't we put it behind us, Lily and start fresh from today," Petunia suggested. "So how is Harry doing?"

"He's fine. He's staying with Sev's parents right now," Lily replied and then laughed. "He's turned into a rabid United Manchester fan and he's watching today's game with Toby."

"My dad knows the manager of the team; his wife buys all her furniture at his store and he got some tickets to a live game that's he's going to give Harry for Christmas," Severus added.

"Well, I'm sure he'll enjoy going to a live game."

"Maybe Dudley could come over sometime and play?" Lily suggested. "Harry goes to daycare during the week, but he's home on the weekends. I would really like Harry and Dudley get to know one another."

"How would he get to where you're living?"

"I just live in London. Sev has a car and I still have a current driver's license so I can pick him up and bring him back."

"That sounds fine. How about next Saturday if that's all right with you?"

"That will work. I'll come by at ten to pick Dudley up and I'll bring back at four."

They apparated into Severus back yard from Wisteria Walk. "Well, that went much better than I expected," Severus remarked.

"I'm glad Tuney's decided to forget the past and we can be sisters again," Lily said. "Mum and dad really did ignore Petunia once they found out about me being a witch and I can't blame her for her attitude towards me."

"Yes. I expect she'd have to be a saint to ignore it and just carry on." They wiped their feet and entered the house.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Remus was studying for the Auror, Second Level test. He was finding it rather difficult to concentrate with James pacing around and Sirius making bats out of parchment and spelling them to fly around the room and yelling each time they passed overhead, "There goes, Snivellus!" James and Sirius were waiting to floo over and to see if Albus had any ideas for taking Harry away from Lily. He suddenly slammed his hand down on a stack of books, causing everybody to jump in surprise. "Would you two please settle down? I can't hear myself think with all your disruptions!"

"Geez, Moony," Sirius complained. "All you had to do was ask."

Remus shook his head. Sometimes he really regretted having agreed to live at Grimmauld Place. "I don't know why you're trying to take Harry away from Lily anyway, James," Remus said. "Lily told me you never wanted him so why the big fuss about her raising him?"

"I didn't want her to get pregnant two months after we got married, Remus, but she didn't ask me; she was a clingy pest during the entire pregnancy always wanting me to go to the healer with her and go to some revolting birthing classes."

"Why didn't _you_ use a birth control potion then, James? Birth control isn't just a woman's responsibility anymore."

"Potter men do not use birth control. We don't want to take the chance of it damaging our equipment."

"I tell the witches I sleep with that they'd better be using a birth control potion because if they get pregnant, they're on their own," Sirius said.

Remus gave both James and Sirius a disgusted look and looked at his watch. "Why don't you floo over to Hogwarts? Lunch is over and Albus is probably in his office by now."

"Good idea, Moony. Are you coming with us? Marauders always stand together."

"Sorry, James, but I've got to study for this test I'm taking next Friday."

"Moony wants to get ahead," Sirius sneered.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Sirius," Remus replied as they stepped into fireplace in Remus' suite, threw down the floo powder and James yelled, "Dumbledore's office, Hogswart."

James and Sirius stepped out of the fireplace and Albus got up and came around his desk to greet them. "Good to see you. Where's Remus?"

"He studying to take the Second Level Auror test," James said.

"Yeah, ever since Alice Longbottom was assigned his partner he's been no fun at all," Sirius complained."

"Have you thought of a way to get the kid away from Lily, Albus?"

"If we can find out where Lily's living we might be able to build a case on that especially if she's living with Snape," Albus replied.

"But we don't know where, Albus. Wherever she's living it's under the Fidelius Charm and she said she's not the Secret Keeper."

"If she's living with Snape then his grandfather is probably the Secret Keeper," Albus said.

"Well, that's not going to do Prongs any good, Albus. Snivellus' entire family hates your guts," Sirius pointed out.

"That bitch that runs the daycare at St. Mungo's won't let me near the kid. She threatened to sic Shacklebolt and the hospital security on me! Lily or Snivellus bring him there every weekday morning so I don't even get a chance to talk to him."

Well, gentlemen, I'm afraid our only other option is to wait nine years for Harry to start school here, but I'm afraid he'll be so soft by that time though, he'll fail at everything I have planned for him," Albus said. "Voldemort is _not_ gone permanently and we're going need Harry to defeat him!"

"That means the Wizarding World is doomed," Sirius said.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

"The more I think about it, the less I want Harry going to Hogwarts," Lily said. "Unless Dumbledore isn't headmaster anymore by the time Harry's eleven."

"We can't count on that though," Severus said. "Headmasters at Hogwarts are like the Queen; they die with their boots on."

Lily giggled at his reference to the Muggle Americans westerns that both Tobias and her dad had watched and then sighed, "I expect that means he won't be out of there anytime soon."

"I think that's a safe bet," Severus replied.

"But I'm so glad you ran into Petunia last year, recognized immediately that he was being mistreated and took him away from her."

"You know that's still weird though," he remarked.

"What's weird, Sev?"

"I still can't figure how I ended up on King's Road. I never took that route when I walked home, but then again I was a bit distracted so I probably didn't notice in what direction I was walking."

"What were you thinking about?"

"You, actually. I was thinking about how we'd go Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade and you'd drag me into practically every store to find unusual gifts for everybody."

"That reminds me I _do_ need to start my Christmas shopping soon," Lily said with a grin.

Severus gave a mock groan and slapped his forehead. "I think I just jinxed myself. You know we usually go to Armorel for Christmas and spend two or three days there?"

"That's okay. Professor Flitwick told me he's going to be spending Christmas with his brother and his nieces and nephews so I'm going to start my training when school starts again."

Tita served lunch and they had just sat down and started eating when the floo sounded. Severus got up to see who it was and came back with Remus. "Have you eaten, Remus?" Lily asked.

"No. I've spent the morning trying to study for the Second Level Auror test without much success I might add no thanks to James and Sirius." He sat down and Tita appeared with a pop setting a plate of food in front of him. Remus poured himself some tea from the pot on the table and leaned back in his chair taking a sip of it.

"I suppose they're still on about getting custody of Harry?" Lily said.

"What else?" Remus sighed. "They haven't given up. James is like a dog with a bone. He's the same way about Harry now that he was about you at Hogwarts," Remus told Lily.

"They fighting a losing battle," Severus remarked. "First they have to get past Lily and me to get to Harry. Potter only wants him to spite Lily and not because he loves him."

"I don't trust Albus at all," Remus admitted. "I suspect he has plans for Harry that definitely _won't_ be in his best interests."

"That's why Sev and I are considering home schooling Harry."

"I'm sure Alice and Frank would let Neville come and I'm pretty certain Mrs. Nott would allow Teddy to be schooled here too," Severus said and explained. "Neville and Teddy are Harry's two best friends at Miss Sherry's. I think there are a few Slytherin parents who don't want to send their kids to Hogwarts because of Dumbledore's obvious dislike of all thing Slytherin, but don't want to have to send their kids to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang either. Besides if the kids aren't exposed to all the prejudice and favoritism at Hogwarts it's less likely they'll end up as cannon fodder for Voldemort."

"I could teach Defense and Transfiguration," Remus offered. "They were my best subject at Hogwarts."

"I can teach Charms; Alice could teach Herbology and I'll bet Mrs. Longbottom could teach History of Magic," Lily said.

"Frank could teach Flying and I can teach Potions and Astronomy," Severus said. "I have a rooftop terrace that's perfect for stargazing."

"What about the Electives in third year?" Remus asked.

"I can teach Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, but so could Lucius."

"Malfoy," Lily said in disgust. "He's a Death Eater, Sev."

"Actually, he's not. His father was a big supporter of Voldemort's, but Lucius was smart enough to realize once you joined there was no getting out – it was a lifetime commitment. He father was going to force him to be marked when he fortunately he died of a virulent case of Dragon Pox. When he and Narcissa had Draco it sealed the deal because he knew Voldemort would expect Draco to become a Death Eater once he came of age. No father really wants that. He denounced Voldemort."

"I didn't know," Lily confessed.

"Me either, Remus added. "I always thought Malfoy was the main recruiter at Hogwarts."

"Some of my house did join Voldemort. Avery, Wilkes, Rosier, the Lestrange's, but many didn't. Neither Crabbe nor Goyle joined because he treated them like dummies the first meeting they ever went to and they didn't like it. I believe they both have sons the same age as Harry."

"Well, this idea is certainly worth more discussion," Lily nodded.

"We could do this and the kids would do probably do better on their OWLs and NEWTs with more individual attention," Remus said enthusiastically.

"I just hope we don't have any more trouble from Potter, Black, or Dumbledore, but that's probably not a realistic hope," Severus said.

Eileen and Tobias brought Harry home the next morning. Lily bent down and gave him a hug. "Did you have a good time, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Grandpa and me watched the game and Grandma made pancakes."

"You must be very special little boy then," Severus teased. "She doesn't make pancakes for everybody."

"We loved having him," Eileen said. "He and Toby watched the game and then we went to the store and Harry picked out furniture for his bedroom at our home."

"So who won the game?" Severus asked Harry while his father snorted.

"Manchester, Da!" Harry shouted. "Go Manchester!"

"Thanks for letting stay Harry overnight, Mum, Dad," Severus said.

"Anytime, Sev," Eileen replied giving him a kiss.

"It was our pleasure, Sev," Toby added "We'll see you soon, Harry," he said waving as he and Eileen stepped into the fireplace and disappeared.

"Why don't we go upstairs and get you unpacked," Severus suggested to Harry.

"Okay, Da."

Since Lily was antsy to start her Christmas shopping they put Harry in his stroller and went to Diagon Alley after lunch. Severus patiently wheeled Harry's stroller up and down Diagon Alley and in and out of stores while Lily looked and got ideas for Christmas gifts.

"By the way, I never thanked you after you returned for the book you gave me last Christmas. I had intended to buy it, but I never got around to it."

"Well, I saw it at Flourish & Blotts the first day they got it in. In fact they had started putting it on display while I was there and it just shouted 'Sev'."

"It really an interesting reading about Merlin's ideas and trying out his potions," Severus said. "Did I tell you that Harry likes to help me with my brewing? He put the ingredients in the cauldron for me and I let him give it a stir or two."

"Well, hopefully he's inherited my love of studying and not his father's love of being a wretched bully."

"I don't think that will happen. The Potter's spoiled him rotten and that's why he's the way he is."

"Sirius' influence only increases James' worse characteristics."

"They sounded like a couple of bullies as Aurors too or at least according to Tom."

"They used to come into the Leaky Cauldron in their Auror uniforms and throw their weight around. James never got over the fact that I graduated first in our class at Auror Academy. Remus graduated second, and James and Sirius graduated at the bottom of the class."

"That figures," Severus muttered.

They returned home and Lily had a list of gift ideas for Christmas presents. Severus smirked wondering what she was going to buy for Vernon.

Lily had made up her mind to arrive at Hogwarts early and see Dumbledore before breakfast. She apparated outside the castle gates where Hagrid was waiting to let her in. "I'm sur' glad you and James are back, Lily. Nobody was expectin' it a course, but it's good to see ya' again," he said as they walked up the driveway to the front entrance.

"Thank you, Hagrid," Lily said. "I know it's strange and I don't understand it myself and probably never will, but I'm glad I was given a second chance."

Once inside the castle she went directly up to Dumbledore's office. Filius had given her the password. She knocked on the door and heard a pleasant, "Come in, Lily." She grimaced. He wouldn't be feeling so pleasant once she was through with him.

Lily stormed into the office and up to Dumbledore's desk. "How dare you!"

Albus flinched and leaned back away from Lily. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lily."

"You left Harry on Tuney's doorstep like some unwanted to piece of rubbish! You never bothered to let my sister and her husband know he was there or what happened! You left Harry there alone and in the cold until Petunia found him in the morning when she bought in the milk! He couldn't have gotten sick or Death Eaters could have found him. There were no blood wards, old man because I didn't use old magic, but you're too arrogant to believe anything but your own opinion! I ought to hex you and switch your head and arse around!"

"Now Lily, I was only looking out for Harry's best interests. I thought Tuney would treat him like her own son."

"Treat him like her own son! She treated him like rubbish! My will specifically stated I did not want him to go to Tuney and you knew that! I know from the goblins at Gringotts that you read my will, but you chose to do whatever you bloody well pleased!" Lily whipped out her wand, pointed it at Dumbledore, and muttered, "_Acclaro Falso_," Suddenly Dumbledore's nose lengthened. "That's a lie revealing spell I cast on you that I invented. Every time you tell a lie your nose will get longer like in the Muggle story, _Pinocchio_. In fact I named it the _Pinocchio Hex._ Since you lie so much your nose will be so long by the end of the day you won't be able to stand up straight!" She left the office, her robes flaring out behind her.

Severus took Harry to daycare that morning since it was Lily's day to be at Hogwarts. They rounded the corner where the entrance to Happy Hallows was located when Severus stopped suddenly pulling Harry close to him. The years of bullying by Potter, Black, and Pettigrew hiding under Potter's cloak had given him heightened senses. He suspected either Potter or Black was lurking outside of the daycare under Potter's bloody invisibility cloak. He bent down to Harry and said, "Give me a hug, little guy."

Harry gave him a tight hug and said, "Bye, Da." He waved and walked through the wards into the daycare.

Severus waved back and got up making it seem as if he was leaving and then suddenly he turned around and yelled, "_Flabra_!"

A blast of wind blew the cloak off revealing James Potter standing stupidly with his mouth agape.

**A/N**: _Flabra_ – blast of wind. _Acclaro Falso - _reveal lie


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 10**

"I knew you or Black would be here, Potter," Severus snarled. "You obviously don't want to see your son as much as you claim if you keep breaking the rules Wizarding Child Services set down."

"I'm just making sure you don't turn him into a Death Eater. Just because you weren't imprisoned in the first round of arrests doesn't mean you won't be. Sirius and I are determined to see you go to Azkaban where you belong!"

"Well, I'll just see what Wizarding Child Services has to say about you stalking Harry under that bloody invisibility cloak of yours," Severus threatened. "Haven't you gotten it through your fat head that Harry doesn't want anything to do with you because you frighten him?"

"I'm his father!" James roared, causing screams inside the daycare and Miss Sherry to come bursting out the door, wand at ready. "What is going on here?" She demanded. She looked at Severus. "Mr. Snape?"

"Sorry, Miss Sherry," Severus apologized. "But I caught Potter lurking here under his invisibility cloak."

"Mr. Potter, I believe I told you to stay away from this daycare or I would summon the hospital security and have you thrown out," Miss Sherry snapped looking up at James with her hands on her hips. "And that is exactly what I'm going to do!" She sent her Patronus, a Jack Russell terrier, off and a few minutes' later two burly security guards appeared and dragged James off in the direction of the entrance.

"I'm an Auror! You can't treat me this way!" James shouted.

"Tell it to WCS," Severus sneered. He turned back to Miss Sherry. "Sorry, for the disturbance, but the git's always thought rules were for everybody except him."

"I'll have security keep an eye out for him in case he comes back," Miss Sherry promised.

Severus nodded. "Thank you." He walked to the Potions Research department stopping first in at his mum office to let her know what had just occurred.

Eileen shook her head. "I see coming back from the dead hasn't changed Potter at all. He's just as spoiled and self-centered as he ever was. I can't understand why they let him back into the Aurors."

Severus came back at lunchtime and checked on Harry, but he seemed to be doing fine. He decided to floo over to the Ministry and let Sarah Mullings know about James lurking outside the daycare under his invisibility cloak. Sarah shook her head. "I see I'm going to have to issue a strike against Mr. Potter and it's going to be even longer before he'll see Harry. If he keeps on disregarding the rules, he may not see him until he's seventeen."

When he came back at five to pick him up, Harry ran over to him and gave him a hug. "Da, I draw you picture!"

"You did? Well, let's see it then." The drawing was of two large stick figures with a smaller stick figure between them and they were all holding hands. Severus guessed the figure on the right was him as it had longer black hair and the figure on the left was Lily as it had long, curly red hair and was wearing a dress.

"You, me, and mummy," Harry said pointing.

"Well, it's a really a good drawing, Harry and I think I have a special spot for it on my bulletin board."

Harry grinned and Severus picked him up so they could floo home. By now Harry was a veteran flooer and knew to keep his eyes and mouth shut because of the ashes. Lily was waiting in the living room having only gotten back from Hogwarts fifteen minutes previously. She smiled as Severus and Harry stepped out of the fireplace.

"Show mummy the picture you drew, Harry," Severus urged.

"Let me see, darling," Lily said lifting Harry up into her lap. She looked at the picture. "Oh, this is very nice, Harry."

"Da, hang it up," Harry requested.

Severus lifted Harry off of Lily lap and carried him into his study. Lily followed them. By now his bulletin board was covered with pictures Harry had drawn him. He sat Harry on top of his desk, slid his wand out of his arm holster, waved it and said, "_Engorgio_." The bulletin board expanded enough to fit Harry's newest drawing on it. "There, now I can see it whenever I look up."

Lily smiled as she surveyed Severus' study, all the bookcases, the file cabinet, the masculine furniture, and all of Harry's drawings on the bulletin board and some stuck on the wall by his desk.

They came out again and Severus said to Lily, "Before I forget, Harry has an appointment with a pediatric oculist, Dr. Llewellyn on Thursday. I have a six-month standing appointment to get Harry eyes checked. So far, his vision is fine, but I know how bad Potter's vision is and I want to catch it early in case Harry's inherited it."

"What time is his appointment, Sev?"

"It's at 9:30. Miss Sherry knows about them, but you may want to remind her tomorrow just in case. How was your day?"

"Very interesting if I do say so myself," Lily answered with a grin. She described her visit with Dumbledore and the _Pinocchio_ _Hex_ she'd cast on him.

Severus laughed heartily at her tale and Harry giggled even though he didn't understand what his mummy and da were talking about. "I must say that quite an interesting spell you invented. It's probably as good as Veritaserum," Severus complimented her. "And the effects of it would be most amusing."

"Well, I didn't see Dumbledore when I went into the Great Hall for lunch," Lily grinned. "I invented it while I was pregnant with Harry because I had a lot of time on my hands. That's also when I worked on a spell that would keep Voldemort from killing Harry."

"Do you know how long it lasts and does it have a counter-hex?"

"The counter-hex is _Strigo_, but I don't know how long it lasts without it."

"I wouldn't worry about casting it," Severus remarked. "Let the meddling old fool suffer for a few days just like he let Harry suffer at the Dursley's. Speaking of unpleasant people; Potter was outside the daycare under his invisibility cloak this morning."

"What!" Lily said angrily.

Severus held up his hand. "Miss Sherry called security and had him thrown out and I reported it to Sarah Mullings."

"He won't stop," she said bitterly. "He wants Harry as a trophy to wave in my face. James has always been about competition and he doesn't care who gets hurt as long as he wins."

"Well, he's not going to win this time. Harry's neither a trophy nor the savior of the Wizarding World!"

"You do remember that Harry and Dudley have a play date this Saturday?" Lily asked changing the subject.

Severus nodded. "I already have wards on my lab, on the entrance to the basement swimming pool and on the entrance to the Rooftop Terrace. They can play in Harry playroom or in his bedroom."

"That pool is wonderful and so is the sauna," Lily said blissfully. "I'll ask Tita to bake some cookies too. It seems Dudley has a fondness for cookies."

"I noticed," Severus replied. The child was overweight now, but it was up to Petunia and Vernon to stop overfeeding him.

"I hope Harry and Dudley get along," Lily said with a sigh. "I'd really like it if they could become friends."

**Page ~*~*~*~*~*~* Break**

James stormed around Grimmauld Place, throwing things and using his wand to break things. He glared at his wand that he'd gotten a few weeks ago at Ollivander's. Although his new wand had chosen him easily – it was the second wand he'd tried; it just didn't feel like his old one. He had asked the officials in the Department of Mysteries what had happened to his old wand, but nobody seem to know for sure; some thought it had been destroyed and others thought it was somewhere within the department. In the end, they were no help at all! He tossed another tea cup at the fireplace in a fit of aggravation.

"Merlin's beard, James!" Remus snapped coming down the stairs. "It sounds like a herd of Hippogriffs are raging around down here. What's wrong now?" He glanced around the room with all the smashed crockery and with a wave of his wand, repaired it and sent it back to the kitchen for Kreacher to deal with.

"That greasy snake, Snivellus is what's wrong!" James yelled. "Do you know Harry calls that lousy Death Eater 'Da' and actually hugs the greasy git? The lousy bastard used a dark spell to blow my cloak off and that bitch that runs the daycare called security and had me thrown out!"

"As I recall, James you aren't supposed to be hanging around there in the first place!" Remus said coldly. "You keep saying you want to see Harry yet you refuse to abide by the rules set down by Wizarding Child Services."

"Where's Padfoot?" James snarled.

It was obvious to Remus that James had heard nothing he'd said. "I expect he stopped at the Leaky Cauldron before coming home."

"Good! I'll go there," James said. He grabbed a handful of floo powder, stepped into the fireplace, threw down the powder, and yelled, "The Leaky Cauldron!" He disappeared in a flash of green flames.

Remus sighed and went back upstairs to his suite. Merlin! It was like being back at Hogwarts when every time James had seen Lily with Severus he'd gotten in a snit and thrown a tantrum! Maybe he should find another place now. The only reason he'd moved into Grimmauld Place was because Sirius had asked him to as he'd been devastated by James' death, but with his best friend back he no longer needed to be here. He decided he'd ask Arthur if there were any places available in Ottery St. Catchpole or possibly …Godric's Hallow. He knew the house Lily, James, and Harry had been living in had been badly damaged when Voldemort blew up, but maybe it could be repaired. He stepped into the fireplace, threw down the floo powder and said, "Ministry of Magic." Once he got to the Ministry, he threw down more floo powder and said, "Snape House, London."

Severus, Lily and Harry were having dinner when the floo sounded. Severus got up and went over to the fireplace. "Mr. Remus Lupin is requesting permission to come through."

"Let him come through," Severus replied.

Remus removed the ash on his clothing with his wand before stepping out of the fireplace. He followed Severus into dining room where Lily was already filling a plate with the delicious smelling food from the platters, plates and bowls on the table.

"Remmy!" Harry said waving at him.

"Hello, Harry!" Remus replied lifting him off his chair and giving him a hug. He set him back down and sat down across from him. "Thank you for inviting me to stay for dinner."

"It's no problem, Remus," Lily smiled. "You know you're always welcome here."

"How are things at Grimmauld Place?" Severus asked with a grin.

"A bit stormy right now. James came home, raging around about this morning and breaking crockery before he decided to join Sirius at the Leaky Cauldron," Remus replied. "I think it's about time I got another place. I really don't want to continue to share my quarters with two fifteen year-olds; I've already done that once."

"But where will you go then, Remus?" Lily added in a concerned tone.

"I guess that depends on your answer, Lily," he replied.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked with a puzzled expression.

"I was thinking about your house in Godric's Hallow. I know it's badly damaged, but I'd be willing to repair it if you'll consider renting it to me."

"I don't have a problem with that, Remus, but unfortunately I believe Dumbledore put it in James' name seeing as the Wizarding World has never gotten past the 16th century. So, you'll need to ask him."

Severus cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable for the moment. "Actually, I own it, Lily. I bought it recently." He glared at the wall with his arms crossed over his chest as if daring anybody to question his actions. "Dumbledore's turned the house into a bloody memorial to Potter's bravery, dying when he tried to save Harry and his wife from You-Know-Who."

"He's the arse that made it possible for You-Know-Who to find us in the first place!" Lily snapped.

"And he put that statue in the square too," Remus added.

"What statue?" Lily asked.

"Only magical people can see it," Severus explained. "It looks like a war memorial to Muggles, but it transforms into a statue of you, Harry and Potter when anyone magical sees it."

"Ugh!" Lily exclaimed making a face. "How creepy!"

"And yes, Remus you can rent the house, but I'll pay for the repair work," Severus said. "You might want to ask somebody else about decorating the inside though. I'm afraid my talent doesn't include interior decorating. The only reason this house looks so nice is because my mum and grandmother took charge of the decorating."

"We can go on Sunday and see what needs to be done," Lily decided. "I'm sure the inside needs a total redo. Maybe, Eileen and your grandmother can come with us and work their magic, Sev."

"I'm sure they would be happy to help and I'll buy new furniture from my dad's store."

"Are you sure it won't bother you going back into that house, Lily?" Remus asked in a concerned tone.

"Maybe, a little," she admitted. "I probably won't go upstairs."

"That's fine," Remus said. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

The rest of the week went smoothly. Both Lily and Severus checked to make sure James or Sirius weren't lurking outside of the daycare before they walked Harry inside.

Saturday morning Lily explained to Harry that he was going to have a visitor and she would be leaving shortly to pick him up. Harry still seemed uncertain when Lily left unexpectedly as if he were expecting her not come back and he clung to Severus who tried to reassure him that his mum would be back.

Dudley was waiting with his coat, scarf, and mittens already on when Lily arrived at Petunia's house. With Petunia's help, she got Dudley strapped into the car seat Severus had conjured for Harry although she surreptitiously used her wand to widen the car seat as Dudley was much bigger than Harry.

"Goodbye, Dudders!" Petunia said waving enthusiastically. "Mummy will see you later. Be good and mind Aunt Lily."

Lily pulled away from the curb, watching Petunia continuing to wave to Dudley. She shook her head in amusement. The drive back to London only took about 20 minutes. Even though the house was under the Fidelius Charm she still could find it, but she just did not know where it was and could not tell anyone its location. She pulled into the garage, got out and got Dudley out of the car seat. She set him down and took his hand and they slowly walked up the basement stairs.

"Mummy!" Harry shouted running to her as soon he spotted Lily. Severus followed him, smiling. He stopped short when he saw his cousin and looked around fearfully. "It's okay, Harry," Lily said encouragingly. She held out her arms to him. "Give me a hug."

Harry shot straight into her arms, holding onto her tightly.

Lily held him tightly. "It's okay, Harry. Dudley's here to visit you. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't come with him."

Severus still wanted to kick both Tuney and Vernon for their treatment of Harry the short time they had him.

"Hawwy," Dudley said extending his hand.

Harry looked doubtful for a moment and then carefully took hold of Dudley's hand.

"Harry why don't you take Dudley and show him your playroom," Severus suggested. "Maybe Mummy will run the Hogwarts Express for you two."

"Mummy?" Harry asked.

"I can do that," Lily replied. She followed the two children out of the room. Tita popped in as they left. "What would Mr. Severus like Tita to serve for lunch?"

"I think grilled cheese sandwiches and crips for the children and chicken or tuna salad for me and Lily will be fine, Tita."

The floo sounded and Severus went into the living room to find Regulus Black's head sitting in the fire. "Hey, Reg when did you get back?"

"Yesterday," Reg replied. He worked for the Ministry and was part of the Department of International Magical Cooperation that required him to do a lot of traveling. He'd been gone since the beginning of October. "I'm home until after the holidays now."

"Come on through," Severus said.

Reg stepped out of the fireplace after carefully removing the ash from his clothing. He looked like a shorter, slimmer version of his older brother having the same curly, black hair and dark eyes. "I just heard what happened on Halloween." He and Severus had been friends all through Hogwarts and Reg considered him an older brother. "Couldn't believe it! My beloved brother must be happier than a Hippogriff rolling in a pile of dung!"

"Yeah, and the terrible twosome are back causing trouble too! Potter's living with your brother and they're trying to get Harry away from Lily even though Potter's never showed the slightest interest in him while he was alive the first time!"

"Lily's living here?"

"Sit down and I'll ask Tita to bring us some tea and biscuits." Severus called for Tita.

"Right away, Mr. Severus." She was back in a few minutes with the tea and freshly baked scones with pots of Devonshire cream and strawberry jam.

Severus poured the tea and Reg helped himself to a scone topping it with cream and jam. "Merlin! Tita makes the best treats!" He looked sad for a moment. "I'll bet those two gits are giving poor Kreacher hell!"

"Why don't you go over there and take him away? He's bound to your family, but not to the house isn't he?"

"I will," Reg said resolutely. "I don't care what Sirius says. He was disowned by my parents for being an arse so he doesn't have any authority over Kreacher anyway. So tell me about Halloween."

Severus related what had happened or as much as he knew. "I only know what happened to Potter through Remus."

"It doesn't surprise me that Lily would come through the veil here. You two were close even while she was married to Potter." He chuckled. "Boy! I would have like to been in Godric's Hallow and seen the expression on Potter's face! He really thought he was stinking drunk and didn't know he's been dead for a year?"

"That's what I heard. When I went to work the next day everybody in St. Mungo's was talking about it. He was on the special floor they have for injured Aurors."

"So he's back to being an Auror too?"

"Unfortunately," Severus said. "Lily's decided she didn't want to be an Auror again so she's studying with Flitwick for her mastery in Charms."

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

After catching up on everything that had been going on, Reg kept his promise and flooed over to Grimmauld Place. He stepped out of the fireplace and called, "Anybody here?" Reg looked around at the sorry state of the house. He looked at the faded wallpaper where his mum and dad's pictures had hung. He'd come over and gotten them after his mum had died and they now hung in his home in Richmond.

Kreacher came up from the kitchen and saw Reg. "Master Regulus! Kreacher is very happy to see you. Will Master Regulus stay for dinner?"

"No, Kreacher and neither will you. Gather your stuff; you're coming home with me. Are you the only one or are there other house elves here?"

Kreacher shook his head. "Kreacher is the only one left now. Kreacher will be happy to go with Master Regulus. Kreacher begged Mistress to cut off his head before she went through the veil. Kreacher hates being here with Master Sirius and his friend. They laugh and shoot stinging hexes at Kreacher when he does not move fast enough for them."

Kreacher went back into his cubbyhole near the boiler and gathered his meager belongings. Reg looked disgusted when he saw the filthy, torn togas Kreacher possessed. "Well, the first thing we need to do is get you new togas. Those aren't even fit to be seen in!" He summoned a piece of parchment and a quill, wrote a quick note, and used a sticking charm to put it on the liquor cabinet where he'd figured Sirius would see it first thing. He guided Kreacher into the fireplace, threw down the floo powder and yelled, "Black house, Richmond!" They both disappeared into the green flames.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Sirius and James came through the floo after watching a practice session of the Wimbourne Wasps. "Ludo Bagman has sure made a difference as their beater," Sirius said and then yelled, "Kreacher!"

"Yeah, England may actually have a shot at the World Cup this year," James added.

When Kreacher didn't appear, Sirius yelled his name again. "Where is that sullen little sod?" He headed in the direction of the liquor cabinet. "I hope he didn't sneak out and go to Bella's."

"What that?" James asked pointing to the note stuck on the door of the liquor cabinet.

Sirius pulled it off and read it. "It from _Prince Reg_," Sirius sneered. "He says Kreacher going to live with him and if I don't like it I can go to Hades! The little sneak!" Sirius snarled. "What the hell I'm I going to do without a house elf?" He tore the note in half in anger.

"Don't worry, Padfoot," James replied. "Let's blow this dump and relocate to Potter Manor. I'll bet the house elves are still there because Harry's the heir after me."

"It's a hell of a lot better than this place. What about Remus?"

James shrugged. "He hasn't been a real Marauder for quite awhile and he always sided with Lily anyway. He can find his own place."

They flooed over to Potter Manor and stepped out of the fireplace. It was eerily quiet and all the furniture had dust covers over them. "Anybody here?" James yelled.

There was a pop behind him and Dazzy, the head Potter house elf appeared. "Master James!" She squealed. "We elves is so happy when we heard you and Mistress Lily has returned!"

"You needn't worry about Mistress Lily. She won't be living here. Is there any food in the house?"

"Yes, Master James there is plenty of food."

"Good! Bring a selection of meats, potatoes, and vegetables plus desserts, and a few bottle of wine from the wine cellar to the library and have one of the elves light a fire in the fireplace," James ordered. They headed down the hall to the library and entered. As in the other rooms the furniture was covered up. There were two long couches opposite one another and with a coffee table between them sitting in front of the fireplace. Two squashy armchairs sat at the ends of the couches. There were many books in the bookcases, but only a few of them looked as if they had actually been read.

They pulled the dust covers off the couches and armchairs, letting them drop to the floor. An elf popped in and quickly lit a roaring fire.

"Ahh!" James groaned stretching out on one of the couches as a spread of food suddenly appeared on the coffee table. "Doesn't this bring back fond memories when the Marauders use to gather here and plan our next prank against Snivellus?"

Ravenous, Sirius grabbed a chicken leg off a platter and began tearing strips off of it. "Indeed it does! Remember the ones we planned seventh year? We had to be extra careful so Evans didn't find out we were still pranking Snivellus after you promised you'd quit."

"Well, I never considered that a real promise since he was a lousy Death Eater!"

"I agree," Sirius replied. "Evans was too stupid to see it just like she is now!"

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Harry and Dudley played well together all day long and after lunch both lay down and took a nap, Once they were up again, they wanted Lily to engineer the Hogwarts Express again which she did, waving her wand so the train moved around the track several times. At 3:30 Lily got Dudley ready for the drive home.

"Bye, Duddy," Harry said waving.

"Bye, Hawwy," Dudley said waving back to him.

Once Lily had left, Severus scooped Harry up into his arms and asked, "Would you like to help Da brew?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically. "I put stuff in kettle for Da."

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Remus came home to Grimmauld Place and found nobody around not even Kreacher. He spotted the torn note on the floor, picked it up and read it. '_So Reg has taken Kreacher_,' Remus thought. He knew Sirius and James had gone somewhere else, probably Potter Manor. He figured the elves were still there, probably keeping the house for Harry. He went over to the fireplace, threw down the floo powder and called, "Snape House, London." Severus head appeared in the fire and Remus explained what had apparently happened.

"Grab your stuff and come over. I've got a couple of empty bedrooms on the third floor you can bunk in until the house in Godric's Hallow is repaired and habitable."

"Severus thanks, but …"

"No arguments, Remus. You can't stay there by yourself so pack your stuff and get over here," Severus answered firmly.

"If you're sure …"

"I'm sure. If you're worried about the full moon Lily and I can transfigure somewhere safe in the basement."

"All right. I should be over there in half-hour."

"We'll look for you then," Severus said with a nod.

Remus went upstairs to his quarters and hurriedly packed. He didn't have much, mostly books that he packed into boxes using his wand and shrank the boxes, placing them into his pockets. His clothes he packed in his trunk with a wave of his wand. He hauled the trunk downstairs to the fireplace and with a last look around, was gone in a flash of green flame.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 11**

Remus stepped out of the fireplace at Severus' home. He put his trunk down and turned as he heard Harry shout, "Remmy!" Harry ran into the room and over to Remus who picked him up. "Hi, Harry."

Severus and Lily had followed Harry into the room. "He's been so excited since we told him you were going to be staying here for awhile," Lily said with a smile.

"Come on, Remus and I'll show you where you'll be staying," Severus said. Remus put Harry down and he ran back to Lily. Severus took Remus upstairs to the third floor. "There's a large bedroom here and a smaller one there that you can turn into a study if you need one."

"Well, I do have a lot of books," Remus confessed.

"I'll leave you to get settled in then. Tita will probably have dinner ready in about a half-hour."

"Thank you, Severus. I really appreciate you letting me stay here."

"That's what friends are for, Remus."

Dinner was roasted pork, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and broccoli with a pumpkin custard for dessert.

"I'm certainly glad Regulus decided to take Kreacher," Remus commented. "Sirius was always so mean to him, yelling and cursing him and calling him foul names. When James moved in it got even worse; they started using him for target practice, casting stinging hexes and leg-locker curses at him for fun when he couldn't move as fast as they wanted him to. I mean Kreacher's not a young elf; he's pretty elderly. I think Mrs. Black bought him with her when she married Sirius' dad. He was devoted to her and is to Regulus."

"Well, I'm glad Reg took him too," Severus remarked. "He should have taken him as soon as Mrs. Black passed, but he never thought his brother would be living at Grimmauld Place."

"Potter was always abusive towards the elves at Potter Manor too. I was stunned the first time I visited and his parents and he sat there and did nothing. He expected the elves to wait on him hand and foot; he wouldn't do the simplest thing for himself. The worse thing was the elves would act as if they were thrilled to do his every bidding."

"They probably weren't thrilled when they got in the privacy of their quarters, I'll bet," Severus said.

"The Potters had a charm on the elves' quarters that allowed them to hear what was going on in there. They didn't trust their elves and wanted to know what they were talking about in private."

"How completely paranoid!" Remus remarked. "James and Sirius always treated the Hogwarts elves crappy too, but the elves got back at them by refusing to clean our dorm room."

"Did you pass the Second-Level Auror test, Remus?" Lily asked

"Yes, and it was a tough exam too. I'm so glad that Sirius asked to be reassigned as James' partner and Alice is my partner now. She took the Second-Level Auror test too and passed brilliantly."

"So you're both higher than Potter and Black?"

"Yes, if we're ever on patrol with those two, we can keep them in line and they'll have to obey us or get in trouble with Scrimgeour and Moody."

"I always liked Alastor. He was strict, but he never treated me any different because I was a woman. He respected me because I was a good Auror."

After dinner, Remus engineered the Hogwarts Express for Harry and then retired early.

Sunday morning after an early breakfast, Remus, Severus, Lily, Severus' parents and grandparents flooed over to the house in Godric's Hallow. Lily was holding Harry who twisted around in her arms looking all around him. "I wonder if he remembers anything," Lily said.

"I don't know, but he probably should stay downstairs with you just in case," Severus answered.

The front door was hanging off its hinges. Severus and Toby straightened it, but it was only a temporary fix. "That door's going to need to be replaced," Toby remarked with an expert eye.

"I suspect everything in the house will need to be replaced," Lily said. She, Eileen and Audra inspected the downstairs while Severus, Remus, Toby and Tiberius went upstairs. Aside from Harry's former nursery, the rest of the house was intact. Half the roof had been blown off over the nursery.

"Cripes," Toby exclaimed. "A wizard blowing up caused this much damage?"

"Well, You-Know-Who was very powerful, Mr. Snape," Remus explained. "Some have said it's possible his magical core was much larger than average."

"I know a Muggle roofing contractor who could probably repair this for you," Toby remarked. "Let's see what it looks like from the outside."

They came back downstairs and went around to the side of the house where the nursery windows were located. "Hmm … you know it could be that a big tree fell on the house during a storm," Toby said.

"I get it," Severus replied. He studied the damage for a moment and then went to work transfiguring an appropriate tree stump. "Do you think that looks as if it was a big enough tree to do that kind of damage?"

"That'll work," Toby replied.

Lily, Audra and Eileen discussed how to redecorate the downstairs. "This entire kitchen should be remodeled. I always hated it," Lily said.

"These rooms need to be painted in lighter shades," Audra remarked. "It's extremely dreary in here."

"And all new furniture too," Eileen said. "This is badly damaged and it looks pretty uncomfortable anyway. What on earth was Dumbledore thinking?"

"Well, we went into hiding suddenly so I suppose he didn't really care if the house was comfortable just safe."

"It didn't turn out to be that either," Audra said tartly. "I never liked or trusted that man. Severus offered Dumbledore his home for you, your husband, and Harry to stay in and we offered Armorel, but he wouldn't have any of it."

"I never liked him because he wouldn't step in and stop Sev from being bullied," Eileen added.

"Dumbledore has been appropriately punished. I cast a hex on him that I invented called the _Pinocchio Hex_. It caused his nose to grow longer whenever he lied."

"I would have liked to have seen that," Audra said laughing. "How long did it last?"

"It apparently lasted three or four days because I cast it on Monday and I didn't see him again until Friday."

"I wished I could have been a mouse in the corner of his office," Eileen said. "I wonder how long his nose actually got."

"Well, his nose started getting longer the moment I cast the hex and if it kept growing he must have spent a lot of time studying the floor," Lily replied giggling.

"Serves him right!" Audra said stoutly. She looked around. "Remus is going to need an elf too. We have a young elf named Calix who's very reliable and I think he'll do well with Remus."

"I'm sure Remus will appreciate your thoughtfulness, Audra," Lily said.

Tiberius and Remus came back into the house talking about wards. Like Severus' and Eileen and Toby's houses, this house was under the Fidelius Charm with Tiberius as the Secret Keeper. Toby and Severus came in behind them. Toby looked around. "It looks as if you could use new furniture, Remus."

"I think this house needs a complete makeover," Eileen stated.

"I agree with Mum," Severus said. He wanted to erase any trace of You-Know-Who and James Potter.

They decided to leave, but first Lily wanted to see the statue Dumblebum had put in the square. They apparated there and at first it was a memorial to Muggle war heroes, but then that melted away and she saw a statue of her holding Harry and Potter with his arm around her. They were all smiling idiotically as if they didn't have a care in the world. It made Lily so angry that she pulled out her wand and before anybody could stop her she yelled, "_Confringo_!" The monument was blasted into a thousand pieces.

"Lily!" Severus yelled. He grabbed her. "We have to get out of here before the Muggle police show up!"

Lily quickly waved her wand over the wreckage and reformed it into the memorial to the Muggle war heroes and she said, "_Immutabilis_."

They all quickly apparated back to Severus' house and he called Tita for tea and scones.

"What was that spell you used, Lily?" Remus asked curiously.

"From now on all that statue will ever be is a Muggle war memorial. It won't change into anything else and Dumblebum won't be able to change it back. That spell blocks him from changing anything. The nerve of that self-righteous old fart!"

Severus didn't voice his thoughts that Dumbledore had wanted Lily and Potter to be the victims of Voldemort so he could have complete control over Harry and use their deaths to rally his troops or else he would have accepted his offer or his grandparents offer to hide them if he had been really concerned about their safety.

After tea, his parents and grandparents flooed back home. Toby promised to bring one of his store catalogues before he and Eileen left.

Monday morning the front page of the **_Prophet_ **reported a mysterious explosion in Godric's Hallow early Sunday morning that was heard by both magical and non-magical residents. Aurors were sent, but found nothing suspicious.

"I'll bet Dumbledore flooed over there to see what happened," Severus remarked. "He's going to be awfully surprised if he checks the house. He won't be able to find it because of the new Fidelius Charm my grandfather cast on it with him as the Secret Keeper."

"Good! Remus deserves to live in peace there without being bothered by him or Potter and Black."

**Page ~*~*~*~* Break**

Later in the week Lily went Christmas shopping with Alice. "Did you hear about that explosion in Godric's Hallow?" Alice asked. "Scrimgeour sent Moody, Kingsley, Crockford, and Knightly to check it out, but they found nothing amiss. I'm the one that fire-called the Aurors."

"I'm sorry, but it was me that caused that explosion. I blew up that idiotic statue Dumbledore put in the square there. It made me so mad when I saw it I just blew it into smithereens!"

"It was rather revolting," Alice remarked. She was one of the few that knew what the reality of Lily's marriage had been.

"He won't be putting it back either! I reassembled it into the Muggle war memorial and put a spell on it that prevents him from changing it back into that idiotic memorial of Potter, me and Harry."

"That's good," Alice replied. "I hated that phony thing and I wanted to blow it up every time _I_ saw it!"

"Remus will soon be your neighbor. We're going to be fixing up the house and he's going to rent it. Potter and Black moved back to Potter Manor when Regulus took their house elf to live with him and they never told Remus they were leaving either!"

"Creeps!" Alice muttered. "I was hoping those two git wouldn't be moving there."

"Sev bought the house right from under Dumblebum's nose after ... after it happened."

"By the way is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Pomona was telling me you hexed him and they didn't see him for three days."

"He deserved it too! He deliberately left Harry with Petunia and ignored the specific instructions I left that Harry was to go to either you or Sev. He didn't even give him to Black or McDonald as Potter specified; he took him straight to Petunia!"

"Everybody's wondering what you did to him," Alice chuckled. "None of the Professor's saw him from breakfast Monday morning to breakfast Friday morning."

"I used the _Pinocchio Hex_ on him – every time he lies his nose grows longer and as much as Dumbledore lies his nose must have been a foot long by the time I got to Filius' classroom."

"I've never heard of that hex," Alice said. "Where did you find it?"

"I invented it. I had a lot of time on my hands when I was pregnant with Harry. But that was the first time I ever tried it on anybody."

"Frank and I were talking and we don't want to send Neville to Hogwarts," Alice confessed. "I never liked all the house rivalry and the open prejudice Dumbledore showed against the Slytherins and the Hufflepuff's. Pomona said she and Filius have tried countless times to take Dumbledore to task for his prejudices, but he just ignores them. Frank thinks the quality of education under Dumbledore has gone down."

"Sev and I were saying the same thing. Dumblebum's not going to make Harry's life miserable making him think he's the only one who can save the Wizarding World if You-Know-Who does manage to return somehow. We're thinking about home schooling Harry. There's no law that says magical children have to go to Hogwarts and he'll be able to take his OWL's and NEWT's at the Ministry."

"And he'll probably be advanced because he's getting more individual attention," Alice said. She bit her lip in thought and then said, "I wonder if you might consider teaching Neville too?"

"Yes, we'd consider it," Lily replied. "We've been talking about setting up a small school at the house once Harry's too old for Miss Sherry's."

"So what about you and Sev?" Alice asked changing the subject. "You're both living in the same house and raising Harry together."

Lily sighed. "I don't really know how Sev feels about me. Marrying Potter was like a slap in his face after the horrible way Potter treated him all through school. I just can't understand what I was thinking back then. How could I have thought Potter changed? He hadn't. He was still hexing Sev right up to graduation. I overheard him and Black laughing about it one time."

"But you and Sev still remained friends after you married?"

"As much as we could. Potter didn't want me to have anything to do with Sev and threw a tantrum every time I got an owl or anything else from him. He actually forbade me to name Sev as Harry's guardian, but I did it anyway."

"Well, I always thought Sev felt more than just friendship for you," Alice stated.

"He's grown up from the gawky teenager he was back then," Lily said. "But there's still the issue of my marrying Potter."

"Yes, but when you returned through the veil, you returned to Sev's house not to the house in Godric's Hollow or Potter Manor. There must have been a reason for that," Alice persisted.

"I guess it was because I've always felt safe with Sev and I knew he would protect me even if it meant his life."

"Well, that's pretty high praise. Why don't you let Harry have an overnight with Neville some weekend and tell Tita to make a romantic dinner for you and Sev?"

Lily laughed. "Well, we really can't right now with Remus temporarily boarding at the house."

"Well, then after you get the house repaired in Godric's Hollow and Remus moves in," Alice persisted. "After all, you were given a second chance and were it me I'd make the most of it."

"Thanks Alice, you've always been the voice of common sense," Lily said fondly, giving her a hug.

Lily flooed home and stepped out of the fireplace with several bags. Severus got up off the couch to help her. "Where's Harry, Sev?"

"He's taking a nap. He played with Remus some of the afternoon and helped me when I brewed, but he should be waking up pretty soon."

"Good, I want to hide these before he gets up," Lily said.

"There's that big closet in the basement; I have the door warded so Harry can't go down there near the swimming pool."

"Perfect," Lily replied heading towards the basement door. When she came back up, Severus said, "Mum fire-called and said dad had found a roofing company to repair the roof on the house in Godric's Hollow. He said they could start on Monday."

"Good, but your grandfather will have to take the wards down while they're working on it."

"Yes, I sent Aesculapius with the message and he's going to take the wards down Sunday afternoon."

"Remus will be excited to be in his own place," Lily commented. "We've got to get furniture and paint the rooms so Remus can move in before it gets cold."

"We'll all be working on it so it will most likely be done before Christmas. It shouldn't take the roofing company long to rebuild that section of the roof and put new shingles on."

"That's true. It does seem as if they work really fast."

They were interrupted by the sound of small feet coming down the stairs and Harry ran into the room clutching Greyboy and his bear. "Mummy!"

Lily bent and scooped Harry up into her arms. "Did you have a good afternoon, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I play with Remmy, help Da bew, and then I go to sleep."

"Yes you did, Harry and you did a really good job of it too," Severus said. "I think we have a future Potion Master in residence."

Harry giggled at his da's comment even though he didn't understand it.

The next two weeks they spent redoing Remus house. Alice and Frank came over to help. Severus used the spell _Dilato Adstringo_ to expand and tighten the window frames and used _Scourgify_ to clean them and Toby hung blinds on each window and hung new doors, making sure each door had deadbolts in addition to regular locks. Lily decided to vanish all of the carpets since the wood floors underneath were hardwood and turned out to be very beautiful once she and Alice cleaned and polished them.

Tiberius got Remus' fireplace hooked to the floo network and Eileen, Audra and Frank painted, using their wands, which was much easier than painting the Muggle way. Remus' bedroom they painted a soft blue, while his study next door, Harry's old nursery, was painted a soothing green, and the guest room was painted pale lavender. They painted the living room a warm brown color and the kitchen a cheerful yellow and the dining room a painted a pale white with just the faintest touch of green. Lily and Alice cleaned the chandelier and the other overhead lights. All were very dusty and grimy.

Toby who was handy with his hands fixed up the bathrooms, tiling the walls, and putting in new fixtures. Once all the remodeling was done, they all went to Toby's London early one morning store to pick out the furniture. The store was having its grand opening sale and during the day it was very busy and Toby needed to be there.

Lily picked out two comfortable 3-seat sofa and two matching armchairs, all with a blue and lavender motif while Eileen picked out a sturdy coffee table and end tables to go with it and lamps.

Remus picked out his bedroom furniture and his desk and bookcases for his study while Audra picked out the dining room set, buffet, and hutch as well as the furniture for the guest bedroom. Eileen picked out the rugs to go on the floors throughout the house. Severus picked out a small, sturdy table and four chairs for the kitchen.

Toby happily totaled up the bill and between the sale prices and the family discount, Severus was very happy with the final bill. Toby promised to deliver the furniture himself the following week along with two of his most trusted delivery men. Before they left the store, Severus cast a locator charm on the lorry so it would automatically guide them to the house in Godric's Hollow.

Remus, Lily, Harry and Severus apparated to the house the next week to wait for the lorry from Toby's store to arrive. Remus had packed his books and his clothes into boxes and his trunk, shrank them and put them into his pocket. Calix, the elf who Audra had sent over, greeted them as they came in but made himself scarce when the lorry arrived. At least half the village of Godric's Hollow was Muggle while the other half was magical people so a lorry coming through would not cause any commotion. When they arrived, Lily directed them where to put the furniture. She made a comfortable grouping with the two sofa's sitting lengthwise in front of the fire place with the coffee table between them and the two armchairs on the other end. There was a long intricately woven rug underneath the coffee table. She also arranged the new dining room table, buffet and hutch for him While Severus arranged the kitchen furniture.

Remus went upstairs with Toby and his delivery men to tell them where the upstairs furniture should be placed. When they were through Toby and his men came back downstairs and picked up the heavy canvases that had covered the furniture to prevent it from being damaged while transporting them.

Severus, carrying Harry, went out to the lorry with them and talked to his dad for a few minutes. Toby gave Harry a hug and waved. Harry waved back and yelled, "Go, Manchester!" The lorry was charmed to take them out of Godric's Hollow and back to the store. They went back inside

"Does Master Lupin wish Calix to do anything special for him?"

Remus knew Calix would not be comfortable without some kind of a title to call him, but he didn't want to be called 'Master.' "Calix, you may call me Mr. Remus and if you would light fires in the fireplace here in the living room and upstairs in my bedroom I would appreciate it."

"Calix will do as Mr. Remus' requests. Does Mr. Remus wish Calix to prepare dinner for him?"

"Yes, that would be fine, Calix."

"Looks as if you're all set, Remus," Severus said. "So I guess we'll be going. If you need anything else you can fire-call me."

"Thanks, Sev, Lily. I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"I've brewed more Wolfsbane and I'll bring it over when its ready."

Lily gave Remus a hug and so did Harry who was a little bit sad that Remus would be living somewhere else now. "Bye, Remmy."

"Harry, you needn't be sad. I'm just a floo ride away and you're welcome to come and see me any time your mum and da say it's okay."

"Okay, Remmy!" Harry replied brightening considerably.

"I'll see you soon," Remus said.

"We expect to see you on Christmas Eve, Remus," Lily said. "No excuses will be accepted."

Remus held up his hands. "I'll be there." He waved as they prepared to disapparate back home.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

James was lounging in the library of Potter Manor reading the evening edition of the **_Daily Prophet_** when Sirius came in. "Hey, Prongs! What happened to your house?"

"What house?" James asked looking up at Sirius.

"The house you were living in when you were in hiding."

"Who cares, Padfoot? I don't have any good memories of that place anyway stuck there with Harry always bawling and Lily always nagging non-stop."

"Well, I was flying on my broom in the area just now and I noticed it's not there anymore. Dumbledore, you and I always knew where it was, but I can't see it anymore."

James sat up. "I don't know. I thought Dumbledore put some kind of ward over the place to prevent Death Eaters from getting in and vandalizing it because it's a monument to the light and to the fact I died fighting against You-Know-Who. They can't stand that I was instrumental in getting rid of him."

"We'd better take a look and see if they've gotten it hidden somehow," Sirius said

"Maybe you're right," James agreed. "Let's take our brooms, fly over, and have a closer look."

"We'd better cast a _Notice-Me-Not_ charm while we're flying over the Muggle area and then we can take it off once we get to the magical neighborhood," Sirius suggested.

"Good idea," James answered.

They went outside with their brooms and pushed off from the ground into the air with James flying behind Sirius. "Come on, Padfoot!" He yelled. "You fly like an old lady!"

"That's what you think, Prongs!" Sirius said leaning forward on his broom to increase his speed.

"You can't beat me!" James yelled passing him by. "You forget I was the best flyer ever at Hogwarts!"

They flew over the house and it was indeed as Sirius had said. "I don't know see it, Padfoot. Where the hell is it?" James yelled circling around and around. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"It was right here, Prongs! I remember that crooked tree across the street there," Sirius yelled back.

"We'd better let Dumbledore know there's something going on here. If it's Death Eaters, we can capture them and get credit for it instead of always having Scrimgeour yelling at us for some minor rule breaking."

They both circled around the house again before turning and heading back to Potter Manor.

"Mr. Remus," Calix called scampering into the dining room where Remus was finishing up his dinner that had been expertly prepared by Calix. "I thinks there was somebody outside the house. I thinks I heard voices."

"You stay in here and let me check it out," Remus said. He opened the front door and went outside. It was getting dark, but with his excellent night vision Remus could see the two brooms flying off. He went back inside. "It looks as if we had two visitors and they'll probably be back." He was certain it was probably James and Sirius, but they could come back as many times as they wanted to and they could even bring Albus with them, but they still wouldn't be able to see or hear a damn thing!

**A/N: _Immutabilis - _**Unchangeable


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply.

**A/N:** _Thanks to all my readers for their patience. My hard drive croaked at the beginning of November and I just got my computer back last Friday. Sunday morning my monitor was DOA. I just got the new one yesterday. Here's hoping nothing else croaks! Thanks once again to Snapegirlkmf for the Boot-Kicking Hex idea! Alethea27_

**Chapter 12**

James and Sirius flooed from Potter Manor to Hogwarts and stepped out of the floo into Albus' office. He was not there. James looked at his watch. "It dinner time so Albus is probably in the Great Hall."

They left the office and went downstairs to the Great Hall. James threw open one of the doors and he and Sirius strutted in and up the center aisle to the head table. "Albus!" Sirius yelled.

The students were startled because James and Sirius were wearing their Auror robes. The fifth, sixth and seventh year students remembered them and the Slytherins took out their wands and laid them on the table beside their plates. Many of them remembered being hexed by Potter and Black despite the head boy at that time, Severus Snape, attempting to stop it.

Pomona who was sitting between Horace and Filius and exclaimed, "Potter and Black again! As much as they're here maybe they should enroll as students again."

"Yes," Filius nodded. "Maybe they could learn what they didn't learn before."

Horace shook his head. "That's doubtful, Filius."

James stood in front of the head table and cast a dirty look at the Slytherin table. "Albus something's happened to the house in Godric's Hollow. Neither Padfoot or I can see it. We think it might have been taken over by Death Eaters."

The voices rose in the Great Hall as the students heard the dreaded words Death Eater. Minerva stood up and leaned over the table. "Will you gentlemen kindly take your discussion somewhere else? You're frightening the students with your talk of Death Eaters."

"I'll bet not the slimy snakes," Sirius said. "They're probably cheering at every mention of Death Eaters."

"James, Sirius, we'll adjourn to my office," Dumbledore said, motioning them to follow him. Merlin knows he didn't want Minerva on him about something else. She was already on him about trying to take Harry away from Lily, but she just didn't or wouldn't understand that Harry was the only one who could defeat Voldemort. She refused to believe that Voldemort wasn't gone for good.

They followed Albus out of the Great Hall through the entrance off the head table. It led to a shortcut to the headmaster's office. They entered the office and James and Sirius plopped down into the squashy armchairs in front of Albus' desk. Albus called his personal elf, Tingly and ordered dinner brought to his office. She returned in a few minutes carrying a large tray loaded with food and drink.

"Now what's this about the house in Godric's Hollow disappearing?" Albus asked

"Padfoot flew over it first and couldn't see it so he came back to Potter Manor and told me so then we both flew over and I couldn't see it either. It's gone."

"That _is _strange," Albus replied. "I cast strong wards over it to preserve it, but then somebody _did_ change the monument in the square too."

"The one of Prongs, Lily and Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Yes. Now it's just a Muggle war memorial; it doesn't change when a magical person looks at it and I have been unsuccessful in returning it to its former shape."

"It's Death Eaters for sure then," James declared. "They just can't stand the thought that I was instrumental in defeating You-Know-Who so they'd want to destroy anything honoring that night."

"I'm going to contact my friend at the records office and see what I can find out about the house," Albus decided. He knelt down in front of the fireplace, threw some floo powder into the fireplace and called, "Neil Turner, Records Office, Ministry of Magic," and stuck his head into the flames.

James and Sirius could only hear Albus' end of the conversation, but soon they heard him say, "That's very interesting, Neil. Thank you for your help in this matter." Albus stood up again. "Well, according to what Neil was able to find out from the paperwork that's been filed the house is now owned by the Prince family."

"You mean Snivellus' family owns the house?" Sirius asked.

"You know I'll bet that's where Lily and Harry are living," James said suddenly.

"It's a very good possibility," Albus said.

"But why would she want to live in a house where she was killed?" Sirius asked.

"Because she probably figures that would be the last place Death Eaters would think to look for Harry."

"We'll go over and take a closer look at things tomorrow," Albus promised.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Severus was kneeling in front of the fireplace with Harry standing by his side and Lily standing behind him listening to Remus talk about the visit James and Sirius had paid him.

"Calix heard voices and alerted me and when I went outside to check I saw them flying away on their brooms."

"They probably flooed straight from Potter Manor to Hogwarts to alert Dumbledore," Lily said.

"I'm assuming so and I'm assuming they'll be back."

"Undoubtedly," Severus said. "Just as I'm sure Dumbledore contacted one of his many cronies in the Ministry to find out who owns the house now."

"I'll find out tomorrow. I bet you a Galleon that Potter thinks Harry and I are living there," Lily said as Severus bade Remus goodbye and got up from the fireplace. "But it is _so_ typical of Potter to think I'd want to live in a house where I was murdered."

"That's a sucker's bet," Severus grinned.

"Alice told me Neville has wanted Harry to stay overnight. I was thinking he could do it next Saturday night and then come home on Sunday morning."

"Is Dudley coming over again?"

"Probably not until after Christmas which reminds me; when I last talked to Tuney, she wanted us to come over for Christmas Eve dinner. I said I'd check and get back to her."

"I don't know how Harry will react around them," Severus said. "And I'd hate to see his Christmas spoiled by a setback."

Lily sighed. "I was thinking that too. Maybe, it would be better to wait until Harry's older and better able to understand why it happened."

"I think so. Maybe you can write, Tuney and tell her that we've already made plans to go to my parents on Christmas Eve."

"I'll do that," Lily replied with a smile. "What about Harry staying over at Neville's for a night?"

"It's okay with me if it's okay with you. Frank and Alice are both Aurors and I'm sure Mrs. Longbottom's mansion has wards comparable to this one so he should be perfectly safe there."

"It's fine with me."

The next morning Severus took Harry to daycare and then went to work while Lily flooed to Hogwarts. She couldn't wait to hear what the latest gossip was and she wasn't disappointed as Minerva, Filius, Pomona, and Horace all filled her in on Potter's and Black's visit to Dumbledore last night.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Remus was sitting at his desk in the central office completing the paperwork on a case he and Alice had just closed. A shadow fell over his desk blocking the light so he had to stop writing. He put down his quill with a sigh.

"Hey, Moony," James said cheerfully. Sirius of course was right behind him.

"Good morning, James, Sirius. What can I do for you?" Remus said resignedly as if he didn't already know.

"You still talk to Lily, right?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to tell you where she's living because I don't know and even if I _did_ know I wouldn't tell you so don't even bother asking," Remus replied picking up his quill again.

"That's not the Marauder way, Moony," Sirius complained. "We stick together and help each other out."

"In case it's escaped you're notice, Sirius we're no longer fifteen or at Hogwarts," Remus retorted.

"If you two gentlemen aren't too busy," Kingsley Shacklebolt announced suddenly appearing at Remus' desk. "We still have many unsolved cases." He pointed at a desk that was covered with scrolls. "Pick one and get to work on it."

James scowled at Kingsley when his back was turned. "Come on, Padfoot we'd better look like we're working or we'll have Mad-Eye and Scrimgeour on our arses next."

"Bet it's all boring stuff like checking out some drunken witch's claim she saw some Death Eater in full regalia going through her dustbin," Sirius grumbled.

Remus smiled in relief as the two of them walked away. He hoped they'd stay away, but he couldn't be that lucky!

He wasn't back at his home more than five minutes when he heard three cracks and looked out the front window to see James, Sirius, and Dumbledore outside the wards. He watched as Dumbledore raised his wand and apparently attempted several spells to try and breach the wards, but Severus' grandfather had made them impenetrable. Remus grinned as he watched as Dumbledore became more and more frustrated. "I guess Dumbledore doesn't want to admit that your master is stronger and more powerful than he is," Remus remarked to Calix standing beside him.

"Master Tiberius is smarter too," Calix replied.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Lily apparated outside the gates of Hogwarts. As usual Hagrid was waiting to let her inside. He opened the gate. "Mornin', Lily."

"Good morning, Hagrid. How are you today?"

"Doin' fine. 'Ow's little Harry doin'?"

"He's doing fine too."

"Wish I could see 'im. I 'aven't seen the little feller since his first birthday."

"I know, Hagrid, but I promise I'll bring Harry to see you as soon as the weather gets better."

"I'm lookin' forward to it," Hagrid replied with a big smile.

Lily made her way up to the castle and went inside. She walked through the Entrance Hall and walked down to the Charms corridor and into the classroom where she would be assisting Professor Flitwick. As she was writing that day's lesson on the black board; she heard footsteps coming down the hall and recognized them as belonging to Potter.

James, dressed in his Auror robes, came into the classroom. "Good morning, Lils."

Lily ignored his greeting and continued writing on the black board. "What do you want, Potter?"

"I want to talk about Harry," James replied. He wandered around the classroom. "There are a lot of good memories in this room. Remember when we used to sit in the back during our last year and snog when Flitwick wasn't looking? Old Snivellus would turn Slytherin green with envy when he saw us!"

"I thought you wanted to talk about Harry not Sev," Lily snapped.

"I'm inviting you and Harry over to Potter Manor for Christmas."

"I've already made other plans. Besides in case you hadn't noticed Harry doesn't like you and he's afraid of you."

"That's Snivellus' doing!" James growled. "He's told Harry a bunch of filthy lies about me!"

"In case you've forgotten Harry's only two and Sev's never said anything bad about you anyway!' Lily yelled. "In fact, Potter quite the opposite. Last Christmas he bought two ornaments for Harry to hang on their tree – a doe to represent me and a broom to represent you."

"It doesn't change the fact that a Death Eater is being allowed to raise my son and you're helping him!"

"I've had enough of this! Lily snapped. She pulled out her wand and said, "_Caliga Calcitro Percutio_!"

"What did you do?" James demanded looking at himself and around him.

Lily smirked at him. He'd find out very soon.

Suddenly there was a loud popping sound behind James and a size-13 Muggle army boot appeared and began kicking him hard in his bum. "Ouch! Ouch!" James yelled bunching up his robes in the back to protect his bum and running around the room trying to escape it, but the boot was relentless. He streaked out the door almost knocking over Filius. He ran down the hall with the boot still following him and administering hard kicks to his backside.

Filius peered around the doorframe watching James interestedly. "I thought I'd seen just about every hex in existence since I've been teaching at Hogwarts, but that's a new one."

"Sev invented it, but I do know the counter-hex," Lily said.

"It looks like he's headed up to Albus' office," Filius said. "He probably thinks he can reverse it."

"Good luck with that!" Lily snorted. "From what Sev said; it keeps coming back even when it looks as if you've gotten rid of it."

"How long does it last?"

"Twenty-four hours …I think," Lily replied with a grin.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

James walked into Auror headquarters rubbing his bum and wincing. Sirius was seated at his desk with rolls of parchment covering it. "I told you," he complained. "Nothing exciting at all in these! I don't know why they're even wasting our time with this dragon dung when there's still so many Death Eaters running around loose."

"I know!" James said picking up one of the rolls and scanning it quickly. "Look at this one. Some wizard claiming he saw Death Eaters gathering in the middle of Hampstead Heath."

"Yeah," Sirius muttered. "And that was after he drank several bottles of Ogden's Best Fire Whiskey."

Suddenly there was a loud pop behind James and the army boot reappeared and began kicking his bum viciously. "I thought Albus said he got rid of the thing!" James yelled as he took off.

"What the hell?" Sirius said standing up.

All of the Aurors started laughing and pointing as James ran around the room trying to evade the kicking boot.

"Nice little friend you've got there, Potter!" Ned Crockford yelled chuckling. His partner Frank Longbottom just shook his head. "Potter's always got to be the center of attention no matter what."

"Shut it, Crapford!" Sirius growled. "You too Longbum!"

"Somebody do something!" James yelled as he backed up against the wall, his hands placed protectively in front of his crotch.

Sirius pulled out his wand and aimed it at the boot and yelled, "_Stupefy_!" The boot wavered momentarily then went right back to threatening James.

"That didn't work – try something else, Padfoot!"

"What, Prongs?" Sirius said.

Alice looked on from her desk next to Remus' desk and commented, "There's never a dull moment here with those two."

"James must have pissed off Lily because that one of Severus' hexes he invented," Remus answered with a chuckle.

Mad-Eye Moody and his partner Orion Black sat watching from their desks. "Interesting hex," Orion remarked.

"Maybe we ought to find out who cast it on Potter," Moody suggested. "Might be useful in slowing down fleeing Death Eaters." He heaved himself to his feet and stumped over to where the boot had James cornered. Moody waved his wand and said, "_Decresco_." The boot shrank and with another wave of his wand he said, "_Evanesco_," and it vanished. "You ought to be more careful about who you anger, Potter," he advised. "That was a relatively harmless hex. The next one may not be. Constant vigilance, Potter!"

"What does he mean harmless?" James muttered limping back to his desk. His bum felt as if it were one massive bruise! He took off his outer robe, bunched it up and placed it on his chair before gingerly lowering himself down onto it.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Lily giggled as she told Severus what she'd done to Potter that morning. "You should have been there, Sev. He took off as if a hound of hell were after him!"

"I would too if a size-13 army boot were chasing me and trying to kick me in the arse!" Severus laughed.

"I don't think he'll be bothering us anytime too soon knowing he'll get 'the boot' literally if he does."

"The best thing about it is that it keeps coming back even when you think you've gotten rid of it and it lasts for 24 hours."

"Well, he and Sirius ought to be having a grand old time at Potter Manor tonight," Lily said. "By the way, Sev, I told Hagrid I'd bring Harry for a visit when the weather got better.

Severus frowned. "Well, personally I really like Hagrid. He helped me out more than once when the Marauders had me cornered."

"But," Lily prompted then said, "We can ask him not to mention Harry's visit to anyone. We can say it because of danger from the Death Eaters who are still running loose. He's really looking forward to Harry's visit and I hate to disappoint him."

"It's just that he's got a loose tongue and I'm afraid he'll forget and mention Harry's upcoming visit to Dumbledore, but I guess we have a while yet to think of a way around that tendency."

"Maybe we could bring Harry to visit him some morning without letting him know in advance. You Know, surprise him," she suggested.

"That might work," Severus agreed.

Saturday morning Lily helped Harry pack for his overnight stay with Neville. "Now remember Remus will pick you up at Neville's tomorrow morning and you're going to spend the day at his home and he'll bring you home before dinner."

"I remembers, Mummy," Harry said.

Lily helped him on with his rucksack. She had spelled Extension and Featherlight charms on it so it easily held his pajamas, a change of clothing, his toothbrush, comb, his bear and Greyboy, but was not too heavy. "I think we're ready."

"Kay."

Lily took him downstairs where Frank, Alice, and Neville were waiting with Severus. Harry ran over to Severus who bent and gave him a hug. "Bye, little guy. Have a great time."

"Kay, Da," Harry replied.

Frank picked up Harry and Alice picked up Neville. Severus and Lily waved as they stepped into the floo and disappeared.

After lunch Severus suggested they go to Diagon Alley to finish their Christmas shopping.

"I thought you hated shopping, Sev," Lily teased him.

"Well, I realized last year how much I missed shopping with you. I remembered when we used to go to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley and I had to face the fact that I was never going to be able to do it again and how I wished I had a second chance," Severus confessed, flushing a bit as he spoke.

"That so sweet, Sev," Lily said squeezing his hand. "I've just got to talk to Tita for a minute and then we can go." She was back in a few minutes and Severus helped her into her coat and Lily pulled a cashmere tam over her head and ears, wrapped a matching cashmere scarf around her neck and pulled on her gloves.

Severus wore a knee-length black wool coat, his Slytherin scarf, and black gloves. They flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and waved at Tom as they went outside to the courtyard. Severus tapped the proper bricks with his wand and the entrance to Diagon Alley opened. They went through and headed to Gringotts first so Severus could get some money out of his vault. Lily waited while Severus and Zort went down to his vault. Lily had asked Zort to get some money out of her vault. When Severus returned he was carrying two moleskin bags filled with Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. They both exchanged some of it for Muggle money as Lily still needed to buy Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley Christmas gifts. Severus shrank his bag and placed it in a pocket inside his coat and Lily shrank the other and put it in her purse.

They took a Black Cab into London to a store that sold all manner of pots, pans, and other baking supplies. Knowing how much Petunia loved to cook, Lily decided to buy her a set of pots and pans. It contained 27 different ones that were used by Master Chefs. She also bought her an additional set of holiday cake pans that could be used to bake cakes for different holidays. For Vernon she bought a large hamper containing fine wines, meats, cheeses, and biscuits and for Dudley she found a fire engine he could ride that had a siren, flashing lights, extension ladders and a firefighter's hat. She arranged with the store to have the presents delivered to Little Whinging.

"Tuney will love this," Severus said with a smirk. He wondered if Lily realized it would be a very noisy toy.

"Maybe it will encourage Dudley to be more active since you have to pedal it to make the sirens go and the lights flash," Lily remarked.

Severus also bought his dad a hamper containing an assortment of meats, cheeses, biscuits and fine coffees. He bought his mum a leather bound journal to write her potion notes in. It featured magical page replacement and a built-in security spell so only the owner could access the information inside it. He had her initials E.P.S. put on the cover in silver. He had bought his grandfather who collected books, a 12th century scroll of a treatise on feverfew written by Dante Alighieri who not only was a famous poet and writer, but an apothecary as well. For his grandmother who loved to paint, he bought her a set of oil paints imported from Italy and also some canvasses. He'd bought Lily a ruby and diamond necklace set consisting of hoop earring and a pendant. He'd also bought her a wand polishing kit.

Lily had bought Severus a set of crystal, silver, and gold stirrers imported from the continent, from a potion shop recommended by Horace. She also got him a set of fine coffees since she'd noticed that he drank as much coffee as he did tea.

They stayed in Diagon Alley until it got dark and the windows in the store were colorfully lit by fairy lights. "Remember when were on holidays and we'd always stay here until it got dark and the fairy lights came on?" Lily asked.

"Yes and our parents would give us hell for worrying them when we finally came home."

They stopped at the leaky Cauldron for some of Tom's famous hot cinnamon apple cider and sat at a table towards the back. Severus cast the _Muffliato_ spell around them.

"I wish we could go back to those times, Sev," Lily confessed.

"Why?" Severus asked. "I mean other than your mum and dad still being alive."

"Because I would never marry Potter or even go on one date with him!"

"But if you hadn't married him; we wouldn't have Harry now," Severus pointed out.

"That's true," Lily admitted. "But I know, even though you never said anything, that I must have hurt you terribly when I started dating Potter. I betrayed my best friend by going out and hanging around the same people who bullied and tormented him for 7 years. My brain must have taken a leave of absence especially when I can see so clearly now that Potter never changed and never even intended to change."

Severus shrugged. "I guess there's no accounting for the power of teenage hormones."

Lily cleared her throat. "How do you feel about me now, Sev?"

"I consider you and always have considered you to be my very best friend."

"Is there any possibility we could be more than just best friends?" Lily asked hesitantly.

Severus smiled widely and took hold of her hand. "I think there's a definite possibility, Lily." He leaned across the table and kissed her.

Tom who was wiping glasses behind the bar smiled as he saw them. It was about time they'd gotten together. He'd never liked Potter or that sidekick of his, Sirius Black. Bullies, braggarts and troublemakers they were. He couldn't believe that a sweet girl like Lily Evans had gone ahead and married that lout, but she appeared to be making the right choice this time and wasn't that what second chances are for?

Lily broke off the kiss feeling a bit shy. "Why don't we go home? I asked Tita if she would make us a romantic dinner and I'm sure she probably has it done by now."

"I think that's an excellent idea, Miss Evans," Severus replied smiling. He helped Lily out of her seat and they walked to the floo. They waved at Tom and called to him to have a good evening.

He nodded and waved back. "And you two have a good time this evening too."

"We plan to," Lily replied as she and Severus disappeared into the green flames.

**A/N:** **_Caliga Calcitro Percutio_ **- boot kick hard.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 13**

Severus and Lily stepped out of the floo into the living room. Severus took a sniff. "Something smells really good."

Tita popped into the room when she heard the floo sound. "Tita has dinner all ready to put on the table whenever Mr. Severus and Miss Lily is ready."

"Go ahead and put it on the table, Tita. We'll be right there," Severus said. He took off his coat and scarf, helped Lily off with hers and hung them both in the closet. He and Lily walked into the dining room where dinner was laid out. There was a big roasted chicken, carrot and pecan casserole, chestnut dressing, broccoli with a buttery sauce, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and hot rolls.

"Wait!" Severus said. "I recognize this. It's your mum's Christmas Eve dinner. She'd always have it when we came over," he said remembering the Christmas Eves of past. They had stopped coming once Lily had started dating James sixth year and he'd started inviting himself over. The Evans' had continued to invite them, but his mum had politely declined the invitations.

"Yes, I'd found mum's recipes when Tuney and I were cleaning out the house. I suppose I should have given them to Tuney since she's a better cook than I am, but I wanted them to remember mum by," Lily explained. "I thought since we're going over to your parents' on Christmas Eve and we'll be over at your grandparents' for Christmas dinner I'd ask Tita to make it tonight."

"I'm glad you did because I always looked forward to your mum's Christmas Eve dinners." Severus replied. He uncorked a bottle of red wine from the wine cellars of Armorel and poured Lily and him a glass. Tiberius had partnered with a gentleman named Dominic DeLuca four decades ago and together they had started a vineyard and winery in Tuscany, Italy. The wines from the DeLuca Prince Vineyards were well known all over the European continent and had won many awards for their excellence.

"To us," Severus said raising his one glass in a toast.

"To us," Lily responded as they clicked glasses and each took a sip.

Severus sliced the chicken while Lily's filled their plates from the other bowls on the table. "It's too bad your mum and dad couldn't come back instead of Potter."

"I know," Lily said taking another sip of her wine. "I can't understand why Potter has this sudden interest in Harry. Believe me when I say he never had the slightest interest in him before. He wasn't even there when Harry was born. Molly Weasley stayed with me the whole time I was in labor. He didn't show up until I was ready to go home and I think Molly was about ready to pull out her wand and hex him."

"Isn't it because Dumbledore, Black, and Potter all think Harry defeated You-Know-Who and they're thinking if he returns, they'll need Harry to defeat him again, but they're not getting anywhere near him. If You-Know-Who does come back, it will be the job of _adult_ wizards to defeat him instead of putting that burden on a little kid's shoulders."

"I agree wholeheartedly, Sev and that's why I don't want Harry going to Hogwarts unless a new headmaster or headmistress is appointed."

"Despite all his bragging, Black would probably pee his pants if he ever met You-Know-Who face to face."

"I don't know what they'll do if by some chance You-Know-Who decides not to return," Lily giggled. "Who will they fight then?"

Severus smiled. Lily seemed to be getting a bit tight. She probably was unaccustomed to the wine. "I don't know. Maybe each other?"

Lily giggled again. "Now that something I'd really enjoy seeing."

When they had finished the main meal, Tita brought in dessert; Mrs. Evans apple cobbler served with vanilla ice cream.

"What should we do the rest of the evening?" Severus asked.

"I think we should snog," Lily said pertly

"I think that's a very good idea, Miss Evans," Severus replied.

They spent the evening snogging intensely almost to the point where they didn't want to return to their separate bedrooms for the night, but both were determined that wouldn't happen immediately.

Remus brought Harry back at 4:30 the next day. He ran over to Severus and Lily and gave them both a hug. "Da, I show Nebble and Tedee how to bew," Harry said excitedly.

"How did Harry do?" Lily asked.

"He was great. He and Calix got along really well. I took him flying around the backyard and he showed me how he brews his potions. He's quite the little potion master."

"Anymore visits from Potter, Black or Dumbledore?" Severus asked.

"I haven't seen any of them nor has Calix. Hopefully, they've given up, but I'm not going to hold my breath."

Severus, Lily and Harry ate supper and they put Harry to bed then went to bed too since the next day was a work day and daycare for Harry. Severus took Harry to daycare on Monday and picked him up when he got off work. Harry had drawn another picture and showed it to Severus. "Da, I draw a Chrismis picue," Harry said.

Severus smiled when he saw it. As with the other pictures he'd drawn lately, this showed two parents and a child opening Christmas presents on Christmas morning. The mother in the picture had long red, curly hair; the father had longer, black hair and the little boy had messy black hair. "Very nice, Harry; we'll show it to your mum when we get home, but first we're going to Diagon Alley. I need to get your mum one more Christmas gift." He picked Harry up settling him on his hip and they flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. Severus took Harry's stroller out of his pocket and resized it. He placed Harry in it and tapped the awning twice with his wand to activate the shield and the warming spell. They went out into the courtyard and Severus opened the entrance and wheeled Harry's stroller through. He walked down to the goblin jewelry store that was near Gringotts. The owner was a cousin of Zort's so Severus knew he would get the best service possible. He wheeled Harry into the store and over to the jewelry cases. He tapped the awning twice to remove the shield and the warming spell. The owner, Gretkon came over to them.

"May your riches and those of your family increase every day," Severus said invoking the ancient goblin greeting he had been taught by his grandfather.

"And may your wealth and the wealth of your family increase sevenfold," Gretkon finished the ancient greeting. "How may I be of service to you today, Mr. Snape?"

"I want to buy an engagement ring," Severus said.

"Very well," Gretkon replied leading them over to the case containing engagement and wedding rings. They were so many different gems that sparkled brilliantly and so many different styles that Severus was aghast. He looked at the many different styles before choosing three of them. He bent down next to Harry's stroller. "What do you think, little guy? Which one would mummy like?"

Harry seemed to be really fond of an eternity ring that had alternating sapphires and diamonds all around a platinum band. It sparkled and shown brilliantly in the light. "Yes, this is beautiful and I'll bet your mummy would love it." He got up again and gave that one to Gretkon. "We'll take it. Please take the price out of my Gringotts vault."

Gretkon nodded and took the ring from Severus and disappeared into the back of the shop. He came out again and handed Severus a small, blue velvet box with the ring tucked securely inside. He took and put it into his pocket, thanking Gretkon for his good service. He tapped the awning on Harry's stroller twice to restore the shield and warming charm and then wheeled Harry out of the store and to Slug & Jiggers. "I'll tell your mum I had to buy some ingredients if she asks why we're late," Severus said to Harry. After purchasing some ingredients he really didn't need, Severus wheeled Harry back to the Leaky Cauldron. In the courtyard he took Harry out of his stroller, shrank it and placed it in his pocket. "Now we can't tell mummy about the gift Da bought her. Okay, little guy?"

"Kay, Da," Harry agreed.

"Tell your dad I'm free for a game of rummy tomorrow night if he's free," Tom called as Severus and Harry went past.

"Will do," Severus promised.

He picked Harry up and they flooed home. As soon as they stepped out of the fireplace at home, Lily came over. She lifted Harry out of Severus' arms and said, "You're late."

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you this morning that I was going to stop at Slug & Jiggers and buy some potion ingredients I needed."

"Mummy," Harry said. "I draw Chrismis picue."

Severus took the drawing out of his pocket, resized it, and gave it to Lily to look at.

"Harry, this is a lovely picture!" Lily exclaimed. "And you know what? Instead of putting it in your da's study I'm going to put it out here." Lily took a match and transfigured it into a picture frame. She then accio'd one of the crystal teardrops off the chandelier and transfigured into glass for the frame and then she slid the picture inside the frame. She set it down on the end table next to Severus' recliner. "There, now everybody can see it."

Harry smiled and Lily took him upstairs to get him changed out of his school clothes. Severus went upstairs to his bedroom and hid the ring with the other presents he'd bought for Lily and Harry. He went back downstairs to fire-call his dad and deliver Tom's message

"I think Saturday we should go out and get our Christmas tree," Lily announced as they were having dinner that night

"I'll fire-call my parents and see if they want to come with us. You might recall that dad was always glad to get it over with because mum's so fussy about the tree."

"Yes, I do recall that," Lily said with a grin. "My parents could never understand why your tree had to be perfect."

"I never understood it myself," Severus confessed. "We'd better have a big breakfast because mum will have dad and me holding up every tree in the lot for inspection."

The next morning Lily took Harry to daycare. She was delighted to find Alice waiting with Neville. Alice had taken the day off because Miss Sherry was taking the children to Harrods to see Santa Claus and Alice had volunteered to help. The heard the floo sound and they saw Teddy and his mother step out.

The former Emilia Rochford had been a year mate of Severus' and had married another year mate, Thaddeus Nott who had eventually become a Death Eater. She'd left him shortly after Teddy was born after he'd announced his plan to have his son become a Death Eater and take the mark when he was 17. She had taken half his estate with her as she had been cunning enough to insist on a prenuptial agreement. She had since married a wealthy light wizard named Amycus Farron. She greeted Lily and Alice while Teddy ran over to Harry and Neville. She would also be helping Miss Sherry with the children today.

"Is everybody ready to go and see Santa Claus?" Miss Sherry called. "Does everybody have their lists ready to give to Santa? Raise your hand if you do."

All the children raised their hands. Lily smiled. She and Severus had helped Harry with his list last night. They had only been able to put Muggle toys on it since the Muggle version of Santa Claus wouldn't have known what some of the wizarding toys were, but it was okay as Harry wanted Muggle toys too.

"Good! Now remember we have to go by the Muggle underground train like we did last year so I'm going to divide you into small groups and you'll be going with me, Miss Evans, Mrs. Longbottom, or Mrs. Farron."

There were 20 children altogether in the daycare and so each adult had five children to supervise. Lily had Harry and four other children.

When they arrived at Harrods and took the escalators to the Christmas Grotto that was on the fourth floor of the store. Lily was awed by the inside of the store. It resembled Aladdin's Cave, stuffed with treasures of all kinds. Lily knew that Sev had an account here; what for she had no idea as he had always hated shopping.

Each of the children waited patiently in line for their turn on Santa Claus' lap so they could tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Each child had their picture taken with Santa. Mrs. Claus stood nearby with two 'elves' that were helping with the children. Lily smiled to herself; Muggles really had strange ideas what elves looked like.

Harry was next. He gave his list to Santa who smiled as he glanced over it and then said, "I don't think I'll have a problem building any of these toys in my toy shop. Have you been a good boy, Harry?"

Harry nodded and said, "I been a good boy." He motioned to Santa who bent down so he could whisper something in his ear. Santa eyes widened at whatever Harry had asked him. "Well, young man that's something I definitely can't build in my toy shop, but Christmas is a very magical time and what you want may happen despite my not being able to help."

Lily was very curious about what Harry had asked Santa for, but she didn't ask him as it was his secret.

The photographer took a picture of Harry sitting on Santa's lap and then one of the elves lifted him down and he went over to stand by the other children who had already seen Santa. Lily went over to the photographer to pay for three copies of the photo he'd just taken for Sev, his parents and grandparents. Thankfully, Harry's scar was covered by his hair so nobody would immediately recognize him as Harry Potter if there happen to be other wizards or witches in Harrods.

Harry was really excited by the time he and Lily went to wait outside of the Potions Research Department for Severus. He couldn't wait for Christmas this year!

The week passed quickly and on Saturday morning, Severus, Lily, and Harry met Eileen and Toby at the magical Christmas tree lot and proceeded to their search for the perfect Christmas trees. Finally, after almost an hour of holding up trees so Eileen could inspect them, they both found the perfect trees. They paid for the trees, shrank them, and flooed home. Tita had lunch ready when they arrived home.

They decided to put up the tree that evening since Christmas was in three days. Severus got out the Christmas decorations from where he stored them. Severus and Lily put on the fairy lights and Harry helped them by handing them the Christmas ornaments to hang on the tree. When Lily saw the doe ornament, she smiled. Sev really was more sentimental than people gave him credit for. They hung the broom ornament on the tree as a representative of Remus rather than James.

Severus noxed the lights and Lily waved her wand to light the fairy lights. Harry gasped as the tree lit up. "Pretty, Mummy!" He said.

The next morning Lily drove to Little Whinging to deliver their Christmas gifts for Petunia, Vernon and Dudley. Petunia surprisingly had gifts for them. She had made bought a gift certificate to a very expensive restaurant for Severus and Lily and bought Harry the hottest Muggle toy, a Glo Worm; a huggable stuffed toy that lit up when you hugged it and it came wearing a nightcap, ready for bed . "Sev just had a phone installed and here's the number," Lily said, handing Petunia a slip of paper. "You can call me and we can set up another play date for Harry and Dudley."

On Christmas Eve morning, Remus arrived after breakfast and stayed the whole day. He accompanied them over to Eileen and Toby's for Christmas Eve dinner. After eating they opened their gifts. Remus' was a chest full of common household medicinal potions that Eileen had brewed for him. "Thanks, Eileen. You must have read my mind as I was just thinking the other day that my medicine cabinet is seriously under stocked and I would need to go to Slug & Jiggers to restock it."

One of Severus and Lily's gifts to Eileen and Toby was the picture of Harry sitting on Santa Claus' lap. Lily had gotten it framed. "How sweet!" Eileen exclaimed, handing the picture to Toby who chuckled and said, "Looks quite at home there, doesn't he?" He took out an envelope out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Harry. "And this is for you, young man. Santa asked me to deliver it to you for him."

"Thank you," Harry said taking the envelope from Toby and handing it to Severus to open for him. Severus opened the envelope and pulled out five front row tickets to the first Manchester United home game after the holidays. "Well, somebody's been a good boy because Santa gave you front row tickets for us all to see Manchester United live."

"Go, Manchester!" Harry said pumping his little fist in the air as Toby had taught him

Everybody laughed. Remus' gift to Harry was a child's Quidditch book. It was about the history of Quidditch, the basic rules, equipment, and some of the more famous players. "That's simply a book to enjoy; I'm not attempting to encourage Harry to play Quidditch," Remus explained. "It never held the same fascination for me that it did for James and Sirius."

"I wonder what Potter did get Harry for Christmas?" Severus said.

Remus grinned. "That's easy. He was bragging it all over the office. He bought Harry a full set of Quidditch gear including a set of Quidditch balls."

"And if he thinks for one minute he's going to show Harry all of his slick moves; he's got another thing coming," Lily said. "He's not getting within ten feet of him!"

Severus and Lily shrank all of the presents and got ready to floo home. Remus would be flooing back to his home, but was coming over for breakfast. Molly and Arthur had invited him over for Christmas day and he was looking forward to Christmas dinner at the Weasley's.

As soon as they got home they put Harry to bed and then took all of his presents out of their hiding places and put them under the tree. Severus went upstairs to his bedroom and got out his presents for Lily while Lily did the same with his. They met each coming down the stairs and started to laugh. "Looks like we both had the same idea, Sev."

"Well, great minds think alike, I guess," Severus remarked.

They both put their gifts under the tree. "Should we open one gift each?" Lily asked.

"I think that's a capital idea, Miss Evans."

Lily was about to select one, but Severus pulled a small wrapped present out of his pocket and said, "Why don't you open this one?"

"Alright," Lily said. She tore the bow and wrapping paper off quickly to reveal the small, blue velvet box. She opened it and gasped as she saw the ring inside. Severus took it out of the box and dropped to one knee. "Lily, I've loved you since I met you when we were nine and that's never changed. Would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife and my partner?"

"Oh, Sev!" Lily exclaimed. "I love you too and of course I'll marry you!" Severus slipped the ring on her left hand and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. "Okay, now you have to open one of your presents." She selected one from the pile under the tree and gave it to him.

"What have we here?" Severus asked, shaking the box and listening for any sounds that would give him a clue. He began to carefully unwrap it, taking off the bow first and then sliding his finger under the seam of the paper to break the tape.

Lily sat watching impatiently, but she knew it was one of his peculiarities.

Under the wrapping paper was a finely carved wooden box and when he unlatched and opened it; he found a set of 15 different stirrers - five crystal, five silver, and five gold. "Lily, this is wonderful! I don't even know what to say since thank you seems inadequate." He bent slightly and kissed her again. "I actually got the best Christmas presents last year when Harry came into my life and this year when you came back through the Veil. I got my heart's desire; my own family and a man can't ask for more than that."

"I think a man could ask for a least _one_ more thing," she teased.

The clock struck midnight and Severus looked up at the clock amazed at where the time had gone so suddenly. "I think we'd better get to bed. Harry will most likely be up at the crack of dawn and Remus is coming over at seven for Christmas breakfast before he goes over to the Weasley's."

Lily vanished the wrapping paper with her wand while Severus banked the fire. Her ring sparkled brilliantly in the fairy lights. "It's so beautiful, Sev," she said, turning her hand around so the ring caught the light from different angles.

"Harry helped me pick it out; he really liked that ring," Severus chuckled. "When he's old enough to marry; some girl is going to be very lucky he has such good taste."

"Sev, I don't even want to think about that!" Lily said in a horrified tone.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Potter Manor had been cheerily decorated inside and out for Christmas by the Potter elves who loved Christmas. This morning, the entire house smelled of cinnamon, nutmeg, and roasting meat.

James sat sulking in front of a roaring fire. He was dressed in pajamas, robe and slippers. It was barely dawn and he had just gotten up. The Christmas tree sparkled brightly with fairy lights, gold garland, and red ornaments. Presents were piled under the tree, but nobody was around to open them. Even Padfoot had deserted him.

There was the slam of the front door and Sirius came in, his hair and robe were sprinkled with snow. He tossed something into James' lap and said, "Merry Christmas Prongs!"

"What's this?" James asked sitting up and picking up the long thin package.

"Open it and find out," Sirius said, plopping down in a chair opposite James. He reached over and poured himself a cup of tea and grabbed a cinnamon roll from the tray Dazzy had brought in a few minutes ago.

James tore off the wrapping paper, opened the box, and pushed aside the tissue paper. "My wand!" He cried, taking the 11-inch mahogany wand out of the box. It felt like an old friend when he grasped it. "How did it you find it?"

"I went to the Department of Mysteries and made the Unspeakables look for it. Merlin's beard! They're a bunch of stupid ass Ravenclaws who couldn't find their own arses with both hands, a mirror, a torch, and twenty house elves! They finally found it in a pile of wands that were scheduled to be destroyed. I took it to Ollivander to have him check it and polish it up."

"This is the best present I've ever gotten even over the Phoenix 1500 racing broom my parents got me for Christmas when I was 15. That new wand just never felt right even though it supposedly chose me."

"I thought you might be pleased," Sirius said. "Let's go eat; I'm starving!"

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

It seemed as if Lily had just closed her eyes when she felt somebody tugging on her hand and a little voice saying insistently, "Mummy, wake up!" She opened her eyes to find Harry already dressed in his robe and slippers. She glanced at her bedside clock and saw it was 5:30. "Alright, Harry I'm awake." She stretched and then threw on her robe and found her slippers. She took Harry's hand and said mischievously, "Let's go wake up your da."

They went downstairs to the second floor and Lily knocked on Severus' door. "Sev? Are you awake? Somebody here is anxious to see what Santa Claus brought him."

Severus opened his door. He was attired in black silk pajamas, an emerald green robe, and wearing black leather slippers. "Good morning," he said yawning. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, Sev," Lily replied smiling.

Harry was jumping up and down in excitement. "Da! We go down?"

"Yes," Severus said smiling down at the excited little boy. It was such a wonderful change from last Christmas. He took one of Harry's hands and Lily took the other one as they went down the staircase and into the living room. As they had the year before, Severus sat on the floor next to the tree while Harry brought the Christmas over to him so he read the tags and tell him who the gifts were for.

Harry tore into his presents with glee, scattering wrapping paper, ribbons and bows all around him. He apparently had inherited that from his mother. He did look a bit confused when he opened Petunia's present and held the Glo Worm up to Lily. "Flobberworm?" Harry was familiar with them from helping his dad brew.

"No, Harry that's a Glo Worm. Go ahead and squeeze it."

Harry squeezed it and then giggled as the Glo Worm lit up. "Funny," he said and squeezed it again.

"Thanks for the wand polishing kit, Sev and the earrings and pendant. They're absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you for the coffees. I'm sure I'm going to enjoy them," Severus replied. "In fact I believe I'll brew a pot for breakfast." Severus nodded at Harry and asked, "Do you think we should tell Harry about our engagement?"

"I don't see why not," Lily replied. She motioned to Harry who came over and Lily drew him up into her lap. "Harry, Da and I have some good news to tell you."

Harry looked up at them questioningly, but didn't say anything.

"Your mum and I decided last night that we're going to get married so I will be your permanent da once that happens and nobody will be able to take you away."

Harry smiled widely and clapped. Christmas was a magical time just as Santa had told him.

"We'll probably be married in the spring and you can be your da's honorary best man," Lily explained.

They finished off the gift giving by giving Tita her Christmas gifts. She accepted them, but quickly scurried back to the kitchen where she was cooking breakfast. Lily looked questioningly at Severus.

"Not many wizards give their house elves presents at Christmas time," Severus explained. "She's just overcome and doesn't want us to see how much it means to her."

"You're right about that," Lily remarked. "The Potters would have never given their elves Christmas presents. Merlin! Look at the time! We'd better get changed. Remus would probably be shocked if he arrives and finds us still lounging around in our nightclothes," she laughed.

They all went upstairs. Lily gave Harry a bath and got him into his Christmas outfit jeans and a sweatshirt with a moving Santa flying in his sled pulled by his Reindeers and his trainers. Lily then took a shower and changed into slacks, a jumper and low heeled pumps. Severus wore jeans, a jumper and dragon-hide boots.

The telephone rang just us they had come down the stairs. "That will be, Tuney since she's the only one who would be calling," Lily said. She answered the phone while Severus took Harry back into the living room to wait for Remus. "Hello?"

"Lily? Thank you so much for our gifts! Dudders is just thrilled with his fire engine! We took him outside and let him ride it up and down in front of our house. Vernon pushed it for him. Imagine the nerve of Mrs. Chatworth next door, complaining about the noise! I love my new pots and pans and all the different cake pans too and Vernon asked me to thank you for his meat, cheese and wine basket. He says it's absolutely fabulous!"

Lily heard the floo sound and said, "Well, I'm glad you're all enjoying your gifts and thank you very much for ours too. Harry really loves that Glo Worm you gave him and thank you for the gift certificate for Sev and I. I was going to phone you this morning, but you beat me to it. Sev and I are engaged."

"Lily! That's wonderful. You know I was never a big fan of Severus', but over the years I've come to the conclusion that he would have been a much better choice than Potter. He wouldn't have listened to Dumbledoof and you wouldn't have been killed by this Voldyfart. Potter always was a moron and apparently continues to be one from what you've said."

"You're right and I wished I'd listened when my family warned me he was arrogant fool and that was a bad combination. Potter put his complete trust in Dumbledore and never listened to anyone's opinion but his. I'd like to talk longer, but I have to be going as I hear our guest has arrived. I'll call you later in the week and we can set up another play date for Dudley and Harry. Happy Christmas, Tuney."

"Happy Christmas, Lily."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** All previous disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 14**

Remus had Christmas breakfast with Severus, Lily, and Harry. For presents on Christmas morning, Lily had also given Remus a copy of the picture of Harry sitting on Santa Claus' lap at Harrods and Severus had given him extra Wolfsbane that he had brewed. For breakfast, they had full English. Tita always went full out for Christmas. She would be popping over to Armorel as soon as breakfast was over to help the other elves prepare Christmas dinner.

After Remus had flooed over to the Weasley's, Severus got Harry ready to go to Armorel. He got him dressed in a clean white shirt, slacks, a tie and his green dress robe. Severus was dressed in a white Oxford shirt, his Slytherin tie, black dress slacks and a dark green dress robe. He shrank Harry's trunk and put it inside his own, closed and locked it and then shrank it and put it in his pocket.

"Come on, Harry. Let's go see how your mum's doing?" He took Harry's hand and they went to Lily's room and Severus knocked on the door. "Lily?"

Lily opened the door. She was dressed in rose colored dress robes with matching pumps. With it she wore the diamond and ruby pendant and earring set that Severus had given her. "I'm ready, Sev. Just let me shrink my trunk and we can leave." Lily went back into her bedroom, shrunk her trunk and put it into her purse.

They flooed over to Spinner's End. Eileen immediately spotted the ring on Lily left hand and let out a squeal and rushed over to give her a hug.

Severus smiled and said, "Oh! I guess I should have told you that Lily and I are engaged."

"Congratulations, Sev!" Toby said, giving him and Lily hugs. "I always said it's better to wait longer for the right girl to come along."

"Or come back in this case," Lily joked.

They flooed to the Dragon's Tale Inn where Tiberius was waiting to apparate them to Armorel where Audra was waiting.

"Your grandmother will be so pleased," Tiberius said when Severus and Lily told him of their engagement. "And I can't think of a better Christmas present."

As Tiberius had predicted, Severus' grandmother was overcome with emotion at their announcement. "I'm just so happy! Last Christmas I had a new great-grandson and this Christmas I'll have a new granddaughter."

Once everybody was settled in front of the roaring fire in the living room next to the big eight-foot Christmas tree with hot tea for the adults and hot chocolate for Harry plus small sandwiches and cakes. Severus had put his and Lily's presents for his grandparents under the tree.

Tiberius got up and clapped his hands to get everybody's attention. "I think it's time we open presents."

"Yea!" Harry said waving his little fist in the air. He was seated on Severus' lap. Severus set him down, took his hand, and they went over to the Christmas tree where Severus sat down and began pulling the presents out from under the tree. He gave the smaller lighter ones to Harry to deliver and floated the bigger ones over to the recipient. Finally, everybody had a stack of presents in front of them and started to open them.

One of the gifts Severus had received from his grandmother was a green tapestry with the entire Prince family tree embroidered on it in silver thread. He raised an eyebrow when he saw his and Lily's names with Harry below theirs and an obvious space for more children's names.

"It's spelled so it will automatically add the names of your future children and their children," Audra explained.

Both Eileen and Lily had received beautiful jumpers embroidered by Audra. Toby had received a set of workman's tools spelled so they would never wear out. Among the gifts Harry received were new potions for his potion kit, coloring books and crayons, and a child's wizard's chess set.

"Da," Harry asked motioning towards his coloring books and crayons.

"Yes, Harry you may color," Severus replied.

Harry flopped down on the floor, stretched out and began coloring.

"He loves to draw and color almost as much as likes brewing his potions," Severus explained.

Audra and Tiberius thanked everybody for their gifts. Harry gradually grew tired so Severus scooped him up and laid him on the couch, covering him with his quilt and tucking in Greyboy and his bear beside him. He slept until Tita called them to dinner.

Dinner featured meat and fish plus three different kinds of potatoes and vegetables, fresh roles and Christmas cake with a butter rum sauce for dessert. Harry ate a large piece of chicken, mashed potatoes with thick brown gravy over them, some peas, and a small piece of the rich Christmas cake. He burped loudly, causing everybody to smile.

"What do you say, Harry?" Severus prompted.

"Cuse me," Harry said.

"Good boy."

Lily smiled. Sev was so good with Harry. It made her wish that Harry was his biological son rather than Potter. If she hadn't been so completely stupid; he would have been.

"I have an idea," Tiberius announced when dinner was finished. "Why can't you and Lily be married tomorrow?"

Severus looked at Lily. "Do you want to?"

"I'm willing if you're willing," Lily answered.

"I am and have been since I was nine."

"A wedding – just the ticket!" Toby said, clapping his hands together.

"I still have my wedding gown and it's in excellent shape; we can alter it to fit Lily," Audra said to Eileen.

"But who can marry us on such short notice?" Lily asked.

"I'll fire-call Reginald and ask him. He has the Ministry's authorization to marry and bond you if you want to be bonded," Tiberius replied.

"I'd like that. Potter didn't want to be bonded and that was fine with me."

Tiberius went into his study to fire-call Reginald. He was back out in a few minutes. "Reginald said he will be able to do it tomorrow evening."

"That will give us plenty of time," Eileen said.

"Is there anybody you wish to invite?" Tiberius asked them.

Severus looked at Lily and asked, "Alice and Frank Longbottom and Remus?"

Lily nodded. "I would have liked to invite Filius too, but I know he's visiting family over Christmas, but its okay. Alice, Frank, and Remus are our friends and I want to have them at my wedding to you." She frowned. "I don't know if Petunia will want to come, but I do want to invite her, Vernon and Dudley in any case."

"We can fire-call them tomorrow and invite them," Severus said. "And Dad can be my best man and Harry my honorary best man."

Toby grinned and said, "I accept, Sev."

"I'll ask Tuney to be my matron of honor if they come," Lily decided.

"Can you imagine the look on Dumbledore's face when he finds out?" Severus asked.

"And those idiots Potter and Black," Lily added.

"All they're plans for Harry are going down in flames," Severus snickered.

The next day Severus and Lily fire-called Remus and the Longbottoms to invite them to their wedding that evening. Tiberius apparated Lily back to the Dragon's Tale so she could floo back to Severus' house to call Petunia.

She called Petunia and told her that she and Severus had decided to get married that evening and she'd like very much for Petunia and her family to attend.

"But how will we get there?" Petunia asked.

"I'll come and pick you up." Lily decided. Severus had purchased a four-door Vantage V-8 coupe for Lily to drive. "Sev thinks you'll be able to floo to the Dragon's Tale where his grandfather is waiting and he can apparate you to Armorel from there."

"We'd really like to come if we can."

"Why don't I pick you up in an hour then? You might want to throw a few things in a bag for the three of you because you probably won't be coming back until tomorrow," Lily suggested.

"Yes. I'll do that," Petunia agreed.

Lily drove down to Little Whinging. Petunia, Vernon and Dudley were waiting out front. They were all dressed in their best clothes. Lily had enlarged Harry's car seat and Petunia strapped Dudley into it and then got into the front seat. Vernon put their suitcase in the boot and got into the backseat with Dudley. Lily winced a bit as she felt her car dip from his weight.

Once they were back at the house, Lily gave them a quick lesson on flooing. "You might want to put a blanket over Dudley so he doesn't get any ash in his eyes, ears or nose." They stepped into the fireplace. "Now remember; hang on to me and step out when I do."

Lily stepped gracefully out of the fireplace at the Dragon's Tale. Petunia stumbled out only to be caught by Lily and Vernon and Dudley practically fell out. Vernon pulled the blanket off of Dudley's head and he looked around in wonder.

Tiberius was waiting for them. "Welcome. I am Tiberius Prince and I will be apparating you to Armorel. It's going to be very uncomfortable for a few minutes and you might feel nauseous when you arrive, but Severus is waiting with potions to help with that."

Harry was waiting in the courtyard with his da and granddad. When he saw Tiberius apparate into the courtyard with Uncle Vernon and Dudley; he hid behind Severus. Toby noticing his distress picked him up. "Don't worry, Harry you're safe. Your da and I won't let anybody harm you."

Vernon picked up Dudley and waddled over to where Severus stood. "Your grandfather said you had something if I was feeling nauseous and I am – very."

Severus took a vial of stomach soother out of the pocket of his robe, uncorked it, and gave it to Vernon. He looked at it suspiciously for a moment then drained the vial in one gulp, but made a disgusting face at the taste, but after just seconds he smiled and said, "That's amazing! I feel absolutely fine now."

"What about Dudley?" Severus asked. "I also have toddler stomach soother if he needs it."

Vernon looked Dudley over, but he didn't seem as if he was in any distress. "No. I think Dudders is fine."

Just then Tiberius apparated into the courtyard with Petunia who looked a bit green around the gills. Severus offered her another stomach soother which she gratefully took without an argument.

Tiberius came back for the last time with Lily. She looked around and said, "Let's go inside. Audra has hot drinks, sandwiches and cookies waiting."

Vernon's face lit up causing Severus to smirk. What did he think they were having, tail of roasted dragon?

Remus, Frank and Alice were already waiting in the living room. They had flooed over using Tiberius fireplace since it was the only one hooked up to the Floo Network. Everybody settled into the couches and chairs surrounding the fireplace and enjoyed Christmas Wassail and other snacks. Harry and Dudley had hot chocolate.

The wedding was set for 4:00 followed by a special wedding dinner. After lunch, Lily went upstairs so Audra and Eileen could fit her wedding gown. Petunia came along as Lily had asked her to be her Matron of Honor.

By 3:30 Severus was dressed in his dark green dress robe and Harry wore an his navy blue robe while Tobias wore an expensive grey suite with an white oxford shirt and a pale green silk tie that Eileen had bought for him. All three wore sprigs of lilacs as they were Lily's favorite flower.

Vernon, Alice and Frank waited in the living room along with Reginald and his wife, Vivian who stood talking quietly to Tiberius. Eileen had summoned Remus upstairs as he had agreed to give Lily away.

Audra charmed the piano so it began to play. Severus wasn't that familiar with classical music, but it sounded beautiful to him.

Petunia came down the staircase first wearing a long ice blue halter type gown which set off her long neck and blond hair that was up in curls on top of her head. Dudley who was being held by Vernon, smiled and called, "Mummy!" Petunia smiled at him and waved.

Lily came down next on Remus' arm. She looked beautiful and took Severus' breath away. Her dress was made of crocheted silk, lace and cotton and had an embroidered stand up collar that was 2 ¼ inches high and fastened with hook and eye fasteners that went from the collar to about over halfway to the bottom of dress with puffed sleeves that hung loosely rather than fitting tightly as so many dresses in that era had and a slightly flared skirt that didn't quite touch the floor. She wore a long ivory slip underneath it as it was transparent. Her hair was done up in curls and covered by a transparent net into which small diamonds had been woven. On the dress she wore a brooch that their mum had worn on her wedding day and that Petunia had brought with her. She also wore diamond earrings that Eileen had loaned her. She carried a bouquet of white lilacs.

Severus idly wondered how many Galleons his maternal great-grandparents had spent to have that dress made, but his attention was quickly diverted as Lily came to stand beside him.

Reginald nodded then asked, "Do you have rings?"

Toby gave Severus his ring for Lily and Petunia handed Lily the ring she'd gotten for Severus even before he'd asked her to marry him.

"Please put them on each other," Reginald requested.

Lily handed her bouquet to Petunia to hold. Severus slid the wedding band on Lily's left hand and Lily slid his wedding band on his left hand.

"Now please face each other, join hands, and say your vows. Severus, why don't you speak first?"

Severus looked into Lily's eyes and said, "_Because of you, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again. I look forward with great joy to spending the rest of my life with you, loving and caring for you, nurturing you, being there for you in all life has for us, and I vow to be true and faithful for as long as we both shall live_."

Reginald pointed his wand and a narrow rope of what looked like golden flames issued from it and wrapped around Severus and Lily's hands. Severus heard Tuney gasp. Reginald looked at Lily and nodded.

Lily looked into Severus' eyes and said, "_I love you. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you, and to always hold you in highest regard. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life_."

Once again Reginald pointed his wand and another thin rope of golden flames issued and wrapped around their hands. He then said, "By the power vested in me by the Wizengamot and as your Bonder, I hereby declare you legally married and bonded in love and magic." A third rope of golden flames issued from his wand and joined the other two already wrapped around Severus' and Lily's hands. He smiled at Severus and said, "You may kiss your bride, Severus."

Severus bent and gave Lily a kiss, not passionate enough to raise any eyebrows, but not a chaste one either. Everybody clapped and then surrounded the newly married couple with hugs, kisses, and congratulations. There was also a lot of picture taking.

Once again the Prince elves had outdone themselves and produced a feast for the wedding dinner. Vernon smiled happily when he saw all the food and wine. He found himself wondering if Dudders could be magical.

Audra had charmed the piano and a violin to play soft music in the background while they ate. The food as always was delicious and the wine was superb. Once everybody had eaten their fill, the elves brought out the wedding cake. It was a traditional one with four layers and white frosting, but inside the layers were alternating chocolate and white cake.

Severus and Lily cut the cake and posed for the usual 'feeding each other the cake' photos, but unlike her first wedding, Severus didn't shove the cake in her face as James had done. He thought it was funny, but only he and Sirius had been laughing.

The celebration went on until it was obvious that Harry and Dudley were becoming tired and needed to be put to bed. Within a couple of hours, Armorel was quiet; even the house elves had retired for the night.

Severus woke up early the next morning and got out of bed being careful not to wake Lily. He pulled on his robe and quietly went to check on Harry. He was still asleep so Severus went back to his bedroom. Lily woke up as he got back into bed. "Where did you go, Sev?"

"I just checked on Harry, but he's fine; he's still asleep. I guess all the excitement yesterday tired him out."

"I guess we'll have to move Harry from the fourth floor now that I'm not going to be up there anymore," Lily said.

There's a smaller room across from our room that we can move Harry into. I don't want him going down the stairs by himself just yet."

"Nor do I. You're such a good father, Sev," Lily murmured as Severus enclosed in his arms.

After breakfast which Vernon had thoroughly enjoyed, Tiberius disapparated Lily, Petunia, Dudley and Vernon back to the Dragon's Tale and they flooed back to Severus and Lily's home.

Lily drove them back to Little Whining. Vernon got their suitcase out of the boot and took Dudley into the house while Petunia said goodbye to Lily. "Thank you for inviting us to your wedding, Lily. I know you went to a lot of trouble to get us there."

"It was no trouble, Tuney. You're my sister and the only family I have left. We're probably going to be staying a couple of more days, but I'll call you when we get home and we can set up a play date for Harry and Dudley.

"That sounds good. I'll look forward to your call."

Lily started her car and waved at Petunia before pulling away from the curb. She drove back to London and then flooed back to the Dragon's Tale where Tiberius was waiting to apparate her back to Armorel.

Severus was outside with Harry and they were building a snowman. Lily decided to go outside and help them.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

Albus was eating his breakfast, waiting for his copy of the **_Prophet_** to arrive. It had been a very peaceful holiday because all the Slytherins had gone home for Christmas. Only five students had stayed at school – one Hufflepuff, two Ravenclaws, and two Gryffindors.

His floo sounded interrupting his musings. He walked over and saw his long-time friend, Neil Turner's head sitting in the green flames. He worked in the Record's Office at the Ministry. Albus bent down. "Neil, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you so early this morning?"

"Well, do you remember you told me to keep an eye out for anything regarding the names Snape or Prince?"

"Yes, I did. What did you find?"

"I found a marriage certificate in the name of Severus Tobias Snape and Lily Elizabeth Evans that was filed last night by Reginald Winchester."

Albus sat back in shock. This would definitely throw a wrench into his and James' plan to train Harry to fight Voldemort! "I see."

"Well, I'd better be getting back," Turner said. "I figured you want to know as soon as possible."

"Yes, I appreciate it, Neil. Thank you for letting me know," Albus replied.

"No problem, Albus." He moved away from the fireplace and sat down behind his desk again. This would be a very bad blow to James and he would have to find a way to break it to him gently.

**Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break**

James woke up early, unusual for him as he normally got up at eleven, and went downstairs. He walked downstairs still attired in pajamas, robe, slippers, yawning and scratching his head causing his hair to appear even messier than it normally did.

Dazzy popped in before his foot had even hit the bottom rung of the stairs. "Master Potter, Dazzy will get breakfast immediately."

"Bring it into the library," James ordered. He went into the library where a fire was roaring in the fireplace and plopped down on the couch. Dazzy popped in holding a tray that contained eggs, bacon, sausages, fried potatoes, waffles and pancakes plus tea and pumpkin juice. It was a lot of food, but she knew Master Black would probably be joining him.

"Did the **_Prophet_** arrive yet?"

"Dazzy has not yet seen the owl, Master Potter," she replied.

"Bring it in here as soon as it does come," James said and then muttered, "Damn paper! Service has sure gone downhill!"

The library door creaked open and Sirius came in, yawning widely. His eyes widened appreciatively when he saw the spread of food on the coffee table. "I thought I smelled bacon."

"Help yourself," James said. "I should pay a visit to Cuffe on my way to work tomorrow. The paper is never here at breakfast anymore. When my dad was alive, he wouldn't have dared be late with our paper!"

"Yeah, Cuffe's rolling in Galleons so he doesn't give a crap," Sirius replied while filling his plate.

James picked up a plate, filled it, and began eating. "It sure is boring at the office these days," James remarked. "I can't understand it. Even though You-Know-Who's gone, there's still a lot of Death Eaters running around free …"

"Yeah, like Snivellus and Malfoy," Sirius interrupted.

"Exactly, but Scrimgeour, Moody, and Shacklebolt won't let us go out and arrest them. Instead we've got to sit on our arses and read idiot reports about imaginary You-Know-Who or Death Eater sighting. Hell! Half of them are probably hallucinations! How am I ever going to be head of the Auror division if I never see any field service?"

"It's because Scrimgeour's jealous and afraid. He knows if he places us in the field, we'll show him up and reveal the dark supporter he is. He knows he'd be out on his arse in a minute because with Albus as head of the Wizengamot he wouldn't get a second chance. He's walking on thin ice right now, in fact!"

"You're right," James said brightening. "And he'd recommend me strongly to replace Scrimgeour."

"And once you got the position, you'd of course appoint me your second-in-command," Sirius said slyly.

"Of course," James agreed. "I'd probably have to dismiss Moony because we can't trust him as he's decided to be friends with Snivellus. The Longbums, too, they'll have to go."

"Crapford, Moody, and Shacklebolt will all have to go and good riddens!" Sirius added.

"Anybody's who's currently loyal to Scrimgeour is out!" James declared. "We can't trust them not to be plotting to stab us in the back."

"This is like old times, Prongs," Sirius said cheerfully. "Remember when the Marauders used to sit in here during the holidays and plan what we were going to do to Snivellus?"

"Yeah, those were the days, Padfoot."

Their reminiscing was interrupted by the floo sounding and they saw Albus' head sitting in the flames. Both of them knelt in front of the fireplace. "Good morning, Albus. What are you calling about so early?" James asked.

"May I come through, James?" Albus asked.

James sent a questioning look at Sirius who shrugged. "Of course, Albus. Come on through."

Albus stepped out of the floo first brushing the ash off his robe with his wand.

"Is something wrong?" James asked.

"Perhaps you should sit down, James," Albus suggested.

"Okay." James sat down in one of the squashy armchairs. "So, what's up?"

"I had a call this morning from my friend in the Record's Office at the Ministry, Neil Turner. He found a marriage certificate filed last night in the names of Severus Snape and Lily Evans."

"What! Lily married Snivellus?" James yelled.

"I'm afraid so, James. I thought you'd want to know."

James looked shocked. "I thought she'd come back to me once she got over being mad. Snivellus must have _Imperiused_ her or given her some kind of dark potion to get her to agree to marry him. He just wants to prevent us from getting Harry because then there won't be anybody to defeat You-Know-Who when he returns and this is the best way to do it."

"I don't know, James, but this will make things much more difficult," Albus replied. "I'm going to return to Hogwarts. I have much to think about." Albus disappeared into the green flames.

Seeing how upset James was, Sirius patted him on the back and said, "No matter whether she married Snivellus voluntarily or not, there's one thing that Snivellus can't change and that is you had Lily first."

James smiled. "You're right, Padfoot and he's going to have to live with that fact."

**N/A:** _Some of you may recognize the marriage vows as being the same as the ones I used in 'Maybe I'm Amazed'. I used them again because I think they're perfect for what Severus and Lily feel about each other._


End file.
